The Ministry of Health is promoting the institutionalization of compulsory insurance coverage against civil liability for professional negligence, by putting for public consultation the proposed Doctors (Medical Negligence Insurance) Regulations of 2026.
The draft specifies which professionals must be insured, the minimum financial coverage limits and the basic specifications that each insurance policy must meet.
Interested parties can submit comments and suggestions through the e-Consultation platform until September 18, 2026.
Who is affected by the obligation
Based on the text put up for discussion, insured against medical negligence should be:
Self-employed doctors.
The employed doctors.
Doctors' companies.
Doctors who practice in an institution or hospital with a special license.
Specialist doctors from abroad who work in Cyprus with a relevant license.
Doctors who temporarily provide services in Cyprus under the freedom to provide services.
The provision requires every doctor to be covered by insurance, without specifying that everyone will have to buy an individual contract. Coverage could, depending on the form of employment and the final terms, also be provided through an employer's or company's insurance policy.
Coverage of €450,000 and €900,000
For a doctor who provides services as a natural person, either independently or as an employee, the proposed minimum limit is set at €450,000 per case and in total for each annual insurance period.
For medical companies, the corresponding amount amounts to €900,000.
In addition, the draft provides for at least €50,000 for legal defense costs, in addition to the basic limit that covers damages, expenses of the debtor and interest.
The deductible amount, i.e. the part of the claim that will be borne by the insured, will be able to reach up to €5,000 per claim.
What will be considered medical negligence?
Medical negligence is defined as professional liability for physical or psychiatric injury, illness or death of a patient, when these result from a negligent act, error or omission in the practice of medicine.
The insurance policy will not be able to exclude incidents of negligence linked to specific diseases, such as pregnancy complications, hepatitis, AIDS or birth defects.
It will also not be allowed to exclude liability that may arise from failure to adequately inform the patient and obtain his consent.
The draft does, however, allow for more specific exceptions, including the transmission of AIDS or hepatitis itself, pandemics, certain new emerging diseases, deliberate or dishonest acts, and medical acts under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Annual insurance and coverage after leaving the profession
The insurance contract should have an annual duration and include an additional period of 30 days for the notification of claims.
At the same time, at least a two-year extension of coverage for pending liabilities of doctors who cease to practice during the insurance period is foreseen.
The insured will be obliged to inform the insurance company of a claim against him within seven working days from its receipt or as soon as this is reasonably possible. For circumstances that may lead to a claim in the future, the recommended update deadline is 30 business days.
Insurance companies will issue a special Medical Negligence Insurance Certificate, which will indicate the insured, the duration of coverage, the insurance limit and the defense costs.
The policyholder should present the certificate or the full policy to the Medical Council of Cyprus, when requested.
