Clinics in apartment buildings with elevators that do not fit wheelchairs, examination beds that are not adjustable in height and lack of suitable parking spaces near the entrances of the buildings.
Some of the complaints that patient organizations continue to receive about the access of people with disabilities to health services, with the Cyprus Federation of Patients' Associations complaining that the right to equal access to health services continues to be violated.
The complaints concern both personal and specialist doctors' clinics, as well as hospitals that, according to organized patients, do not have the necessary accessible equipment.
The Cyprus Paraplegic Organization returned to the Commissioner for Administration, asking to be informed about what has been done to implement the recommendation it had addressed in 2023 to the Ministry of Health and the HIO.
"We continue to receive complaints about inaccessible clinics, hospitals without accessible equipment," the spokesman of the Cyprus Federation of Patients' Associations (OSAK) and president of the Cyprus Paraplegics Organization, Demetris Lambrianides, told "F". As he said, these shortcomings make it difficult for people with disabilities to have equal access to health services and, in some cases, may jeopardize their safety.
The specific and indicative examples of the situation: "Personal and specialist doctors' clinics without proper parking near the entrance, examination beds that are not adjustable in height and apartment buildings with elevators so small that electric wheelchairs do not fit. In other words, access should not and is not judged only by whether there is an entrance to the building. It concerns the entire journey of the patient, up to his examination and treatment."
The result, said Mr. Lambrianidis, "is that people with mobility disabilities cannot always choose a doctor based on their health needs. They are first forced to find out which clinic they can visit."
"It is inconceivable that people are forced not to choose their doctor on the basis of the right criteria but on the basis of whether their practice is accessible," he noted, stressing that "we say the same things, we say them again, we give examples and suggestions, we resorted to the Commissioner for Administration who made recommendations, but, although we observe some improvement compared to previous years, In general, the problem remains the same."
Recommendation from 2023, complaints today
The issue had been addressed by the Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights. In a binding recommendation of 21 July 2023 to the Ministry of Health and the Health Insurance Organization (HIO), Commissioner Maria Stylianou-Lottides called for clear accessibility criteria to be set for the premises and equipment of health service providers.
The recommendation followed a March 2023 report, in which the Commissioner found discrimination against persons with disabilities due to insufficient access to GHS services. The goal, according to the document, was for services to be provided both in accessible spaces and with the necessary equipment, in a way that ensures the dignity of patients.
The recommendation was not limited to a general appeal. It asked the Ministry of Health to draw up, in cooperation with the organisations of people with disabilities, a list of minimum requirements for facilities and equipment. It also called for the promotion of the necessary regulations for the licensing of providers, including private practices, so that accessibility is linked to the conditions of their operation.
For the HIO, the Commissioner suggested that compliance with these criteria should be linked to the new contracts and renewals of the providers' contracts with the GHS. It provided for a transitional period for the necessary adjustments, but also consequences when a provider does not make the required changes within the specified deadline. The document also called for on-the-spot checks, regularly and when a complaint is made.
New letter to the Commissioner for Administration
In a letter sent on September 1 to the Commissioner for Administration, OPAK asks to be informed at what stage the implementation of the recommendation by the HIO is. At the same time, it asks for information on where and how cases of lack of accessibility to health services can be reported.
"We continue to find a lack of accessibility to health services," OPAK states in its letter.
"Following the Commissioner's recommendation, the Ministry of Health and the HIO had committed to proceed with the setting of accessibility criteria as a prerequisite for GHS providers. For certain categories of providers, criteria have been set or legislative regulations have been promoted with provisions for accessibility, as in the case of radiology centers."
However, the framework for clinics and dental clinics remains pending. "A relevant bill was brought to Parliament, but it returned to the Ministry of Health for further consultation and did not return to the Health Committee for further discussion. And there must be information on this issue. What process is the bill in and what, if any, are the timetables?"
