Medicine in Cyprus

Every year Cyprus receives not only a large number of tourists during the vacation period, but also foreigners who purchase real estate here and, in this regard, often move here for permanent residence with the whole family. Therefore, the organization of the field of medicine in this beautiful country is increasingly of interest to people.

Medicine in Cyprus can be called one of the most affordable, but at the same time one of the most effective among all the member states of the European Union. Here you can often meet many EU citizens who come to Cyprus not only to have a good rest, but also for various medical services, the prices for which in their homes can be several times higher. An important factor is that many residents of the island, and even more so doctors, speak not only English and Greek, more and more often you can find here specialists who know Russian too. This moment becomes often decisive for many foreigners, since the opportunity to be in a dialogue that is fully understandable for both parties can greatly influence the successful outcome of treatment. At the same time, a significant part of doctors working in Cyprus have received education abroad, therefore the local approach to solving most medical problems is based on international knowledge and extensive experience.

Cyprus public medicine

All working residents of Cyprus, both citizens of the country and foreigners, are included in the social insurance system. Employers pay social tax for their employees, which makes them eligible for public health care. For people with a low level of income, it can be free - this category, for example, includes large families and pensioners. The rest pay for the treatment on their own, but at low prices. Foreigners who are EU citizens who are eligible for social insurance programs at home are also entitled to free public health care in Cyprus.

In most large cities of Cyprus there are state hospitals, which, in addition to Cypriots and EU citizens, also accept representatives of other countries for treatment, but for this you need to register there by issuing a card. Then you need to come back there and take a referral for an appointment with a doctor, which costs an average of 30 euros, but may differ depending on the specialization. Also, difficulty can arise when it comes to rare specialists, in which case you will have to wait (from several days to several weeks).

As in many countries of the world, in Cyprus there is no possibility of calling an ambulance except in emergencies - fire, earthquake, etc. Therefore, you need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to get to the hospital or clinic yourself, for example, by taxi. But in the case of Cyprus, this is not difficult to do, since you can get to a good hospital in just 10-30 minutes. If the case is really serious, then the hospital can send an ambulance, but without a team of doctors, and this service will have to be paid in any case.

Private medicine in Cyprus

Foreigners who are not EU citizens and do not work in Cyprus benefit from private health insurance. At the same time, both Cypriots and Europeans themselves often resort to the services of private medicine, which is most often due to the fact that there are no queues and waiting lists in private medicine, which can be observed almost everywhere in public hospitals. In addition, the choice of clinics and specialists in private medicine will be much wider. Insurance policies can be purchased from both local and international insurance companies, but the former have lower cost of policies.

Types and cost of insurance in Cyprus

Private health insurance policies differ in two categories:

• only inpatient treatment in hospitals is insured, or the option of both inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment, together with compensation for the costs of visits to specialists and the medicines they prescribe
• policies differ in the amount of coverage, which can vary from several tens of thousands of euros (covering the cost of most operations) to several million euros (covering the cost of the most complex surgical interventions)
• the amount to cover the costs of outpatient treatment (from hundreds of euros to several thousand euros per year).

The simplest insurance option will be the minimum health care program, the registration of which is sufficient to obtain a pink slip (residence permit) in the migration service. Its cost is about 250-300 euros per person per year. Comprehensive insurance, which covers both inpatient and outpatient care, will cost around 2,500 euros per year with little coverage. If the insurance is purchased only for inpatient treatment, then it will cost about 1000 euros per year for small amounts of coverage and about 2000 per year at the maximum. It should also be borne in mind that the cost of the policy increases with the age of the insured person. Also, not all medical expenses are covered by insurance. Expenses for dental treatment, cosmetic treatment, vision correction, etc. remain outside insurance. Also, the treatment of chronic illnesses that the patient developed prior to the commencement of his insurance in Cyprus is not covered.

How can I reimburse my insurance costs?

In the case of inpatient treatment, the clinic and the insurance company interact with each other without the patient's participation. The clinic invoices the insurer for the treatment, which pays for it. When it comes to reimbursing expenses when it comes to a visit to a doctor (outpatient treatment), the patient, after paying the cost of the appointment (50-100 euros depending on the specialist) and purchasing the prescribed drugs in the pharmacy, provides all the checks to the insurance company. She checks and reimburses the patient for all costs.

Thank you for your help in preparing the material:

Olga Tutunaru, director of Fenix Properties LTD

Artem Spirin, Executive Director of 1st Property Broker Cyprus LTD