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360 Economic crisis, health systems and health in Europe: country experience
• The Pancyprian Medical Association urged doctors in the private sector
to reduce prices of outpatient visits and medical procedures (2012).
• The Pancyprian Medical Association froze prices included in the list of
services agreed with the insurance companies until the end of 2013.
Overhead costs: restructuring the Ministry of Health and purchasing agencies
• Procurement moved to the Ministry of Health (2011).
Provider infrastructure and capital investment
• The Council of Ministers approved the Ministry of Health's proposal
for the reorganization of public hospitals (2012). The proposal aimed
to increase cost control and improve quality by reinforcing managerial
structures, allocating budgets to each hospital and clinic and creating
hospital clusters between neighbouring districts. In order to facilitate
implementation, the Ministry of Health prepared a new structure for
the clinics in each hospital, which was approved by trade unions (2012).
Priority setting or protocols to change access to treatments, coordination
of care and patterns of use
• Planned to introduce protocols and financial disincentives (user charges)
to minimize the provision of medically unnecessary laboratory tests and
drugs (second quarter of 2013).
Waiting times
• No response reported.
Health promotion and prevention
• Excise duties increased on tobacco products, beer and alcoholic products
(2013).