2020 Cyprus Country Report

Health
Sector Profile
researchers came together to develop a series of
apps and portals. The University of Cyprus along
with the recently formed Deputy Ministry for
Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, created a
portal recording all reports of confirmed Covid-
19 cases in real time, along with geographical data
and risk assessment, which the Health Ministry
utilised to make key decisions.
Engineers also created the CovTracer app, allowing
people to trace their location and contact
history to notify people in case the user tests positive.
Another app born from the corona crisis was
WaitLess, which has the ability to show people realtime
traffic in supermarkets, in a bid to avoid
large groups of people and reduce the spread of
the virus.
Technology will also be at the forefront of
helping forecast the needs of medical, nursing
and paramedical personnel. The number of graduates
from the top-tier medical schools in Cyprus
are also expected to provide more medical personnel
in the sector and fill the gap of potential
shortages in the coming years.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Cyprus is signatory to multiple Memoranda of
Understanding (MoU) with various countries to
facilitate more cooperation in the medical field. For
example, Cyprus and Israel have signed an MoU
for cooperation in the field of kidney transplants.
It will allow people who seek to donate kidneys to
their loved ones to have a better opportunity to do
so through paired donations, as it creates a larger
pool of potential donors and increases the chances
for successful organ exchange between donor-recipient
pairs. The memorandum was the result of
a joint effort between the specialists in the area of
transplantations from the two countries, as well as
of the Transplant Centre of the State of Israel and
the Transplant Council of Cyprus.
In addition, Cyprus and the Canadian
Commercial Corporation (CCC) – a Crown
Corporation of the Government of Canada –
signed an MoU in 2017 on health to foster cooperation
in the fields of medicine, research and
education, and to develop projects of mutual
benefit. In 2018, Cyprus and Jordan signed a
number of bilateral agreements including one on
public health and medical science, with a similar
protocol also signed with Russia.
Marking a significant role on an EU level,
Cyprus has one of its own in the role of EU Health
Commissioner, Stella Kyriakides with extensive
experience working at the Health Ministry and
working towards helping cancer patients.
An important asset in the provision of highquality
healthcare was the founding of the
German Oncology Centre in Limassol in 2017.
Established through private funding, the centre
covers the whole spectrum of services from prevention
and diagnosis, to treatment, rehabilitation
and support for patients, offering modern
radiotherapy techniques. Previously, the Bank
of Cyprus Oncology Centre in the capital city of
Nicosia was the sole provider of radiotherapy, but
the new private radiology unit complementing
state health services is a welcome addition catering
to the needs of patients in both Limassol and
Paphos regions. The German Oncology Centre,
along with numerous other private hospitals,
are in pending discussions with the Ministry of
Health to join the new NHS.
CROSS-BORDER MEDICAL SERVICES
The presence of numerous prestigious private
healthcare facilities significantly enhances the
island’s reputation as a centre for medical excellence
and highlights the opportunities available
to foreign investors. The island has also opened
more opportunities for foreign doctors to carry
out procedures in the country, a move that is fostering
greater cooperation in the international
medical field.
Doctors from Israel, the United States and
other non-EU member states are now allowed to
provide services in Cyprus, under certain conditions,
with procedures overcoming bureaucracy
and delays. This decision not only promotes
medical tourism and generates income mainly for
private hospitals, but also promotes further training
and knowledge exchange for Cypriot doctors,
with a number of hospitals becoming centres of
excellence for the Eastern Mediterranean region,
the Middle East and Europe.
PRIVATE SECTOR
75
hospitals
and clinics
PUBLIC SECTOR
5
district
hospitals
1paediatric/
gynaecological
hospital
3small rural
hospitals
MEDICAL
TOURISM
Popular treatments in Cyprus:
check-ups &
diagnostic tests
elective surgery
dentistry
cosmetic &
plastic surgery
fertility
treatments
eye surgery
rehabilitation
38
health centres and
230 sub-centres
with a touring
medical team
94 Country Report CYPRUS 2020