A total of 534 complaints and patient requests, both written and oral, were recorded during the first four months of operation of the Patients' Rights Officers, with the quality of care, time, avoidance of unnecessary inconvenience and information being among the main issues highlighted, while two out of ten written complaints concern A&D.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, on the occasion of the completion of almost one year since taking office, the Patient Ombudsman, Marios Charalambides, describes the mechanism as "a good tool", noting, however, that individual complaints are "one of the indicators" and not the overall picture of the situation of patients' rights in Cyprus.
From May 1 to August 31, 2026, 293 written complaints and 241 verbal requests were recorded, i.e. more than 130 per month. In the written complaints, a total of 843 references to categories of rights that may have been violated were recorded.
"People have started to use the mechanism," says Mr. Charalambidis, estimating that in the long run the mechanism will be more utilized.
Most of them are everyday issues
According to the Patient Ombudsman, the data did not hide any particular surprise, as "most issues are everyday issues".
As he explains, these are often "small things", which may not be solved, swell and ultimately create a much bigger problem.
"So, what we say about the times, about the suffering of the patients, about the procedures, about the management, the service, all these things are always a large number," he notes.
"Quality" is not just about medical errors
Quality of care is the most frequently cited category in written complaints, with 98 reports or 33% of the total.
Asked what exactly patients complain about when they refer to quality, Mr. Charalambides clarifies that it does not only concern medical errors. "To take out the part of medical errors," he says, adding that the institution also examines issues of negligence, service and continuity of care.
Quality, he explains, also concerns "the proper treatment and proper management of each case, with professionalism, with proper treatment and always recognition of a person's vulnerability, while dealing with any issue".
Time and Hassle
Respect for the patient's time is the second most common category in written complaints, with 88 reports, while avoiding unnecessary suffering and pain follows with 80.
Mr. Charalambides notes that the two categories concern many articles of the relevant legislation and touch a large part of the daily life of patients.
Regarding the "reasonable waiting time", he emphasizes that an absolute time limit cannot be given, as "it depends on the case".
"In any case, there must be a framework and some limits," he says, pointing out that there are also "fine lines", as a time that may be considered reasonable in one case, may in another constitute a violation of the patient's rights.
A&E: "Time is definitely a key criterion"
Referring to the Accident and Emergency Departments (TAEP), the Patient Ombudsman points out that issues remain in relation to patient service.
As he points out, the problems are not limited to the transport and referrals of patients, but also concern their service within the A&E itself.
"Some actions have been taken in the past period, but it is not at the moment to the point where someone will say that this issue has been resolved," he notes.
According to the data of his Office, about two out of ten written complaints concern A&E. Among these complaints, almost one in two is about avoiding unnecessary inconvenience and pain.
Mr. Charalambidis also highlights the importance of informing patients while waiting at the A&E departments.
"Even in these cases, there are often issues where someone can go and inform people a little, give them an image and reassure them," he says.
As he explains, a patient can wait several hours without having any information, which, as he says, "definitely exacerbates the issue".
"Time is not just like time. It is also the time when I wait for what information I receive, what indications I have. These are things that need to be put down as a whole," he notes.
Information: It is not enough for the patient to be informed, he must have understood
Information is also an important part of complaints, with 71 written petitions, a percentage of 24%.
The Patient Ombudsman links the issue directly to consent and points out that "the information must be accompanied by a confirmation of understanding".
"Information is one thing and whether I have really understood is another," he says, explaining that information must also be adapted to the needs of each patient.
As he notes, special attention is required when a person has difficulty understanding specialized terms or when it comes to an older patient.
"We need to make sure that what we informed the other person about, or what we got the other person to consent to, has understood," he says.
Asked if there are cases in which patients consent to treatment without having actually understood what is going to happen, he answers: "Such cases existed and still exist."
Public and private sector
In relation to the distribution of complaints between the public and private sectors, Mr. Charalambides emphasizes that no absolute comparison can be made, due to differences in the volume of activity, the nature of the cases and the departments that each hospital has.
Data shows that 62% of written complaints and 58% of verbal requests concern the public sector.
"You can't make an absolute comparison," he repeats, pointing out that the issues concern both sectors.
At this stage, however, Mr. Charalambides notes that no safe conclusions can be drawn as to whether specific categories of problems concern the public or private sector more. As he states, other ways of evaluation and feedback are needed, in order to form "a more grounded and more documented picture".
From October 1st, the District Committees
From October 1, the last part of the individual complaint management mechanism, the District Complaints Examination Committees, was put into operation.
As the Patient Ombudsman explains, if a patient receives a response to his written complaint from the Patients' Rights Officer and is not satisfied with it, he can apply to the District Committee.
The patient should submit their complaint and the reasons why they are requesting a re-examination, while the Commission will re-evaluate the case.
According to Mr. Charalambides, the Committee has one month from the day it receives the complaint to complete its examination.
"The issues are many and one is connected to the other"
Asked to comment on the overall picture that emerges from the first months of the institution's operation, Mr. Charalambides emphasizes that the health sector faces many and interrelated issues.
"I wish we could press a button and the next day change them," he tells KYPE.
As he explains, in order to deal with a specific problem, the other aspects associated with it must also be considered, as another issue can affect the effort to solve the first one.
In conclusion, the Patient Ombudsman emphasizes that "quality, time, inconvenience and information go together", noting the need for cooperation and contribution from everyone to identify practices that violate patients' rights and to promote actions to correct them.
CNA
