The Patient Rights Observatory of the Cyprus Federation of Patients’ Associations (CyFPA) logged 46 complaints last month, most concerning delays, shortages, or inadequate services caused by regulations applied uniformly rather than to individual patient needs. Cases of possible medical negligence were also recorded and referred to the competent authorities.
Cyprus cannot find neurosurgeon to assist police probe
A police investigation into possible medical negligence has stalled because no neurosurgeon can be found to act as expert witness.
The complainant told CyFPA that police are investigating a neurosurgical operation that, in her account, should not have been performed. An expert neurosurgeon has been requested for the investigation but has not yet been found, causing significant delay. The woman is asking the competent authorities to source an independent neurosurgeon, possibly from abroad, to allow the case to proceed. She said the delay is seriously affecting her health and called for the process to be expedited.
Hospital pressed family to discharge patient despite worrying lab results
A man reported that his uncle, admitted by ambulance after an accident and hip fracture and hospitalised for eight days following surgery, was pressured by hospital staff from the fourth day to leave, despite what the family described as worrying lab results and a clear need for continued care. Serious lab findings were confirmed after the patient was transferred to a rehabilitation centre, which the family said justified continued hospitalisation.
The complaint reflects a recurring pattern at GeSY hospitals, where patients who exceed the set number of hospitalisation days but require further care are discharged before transfer to rehabilitation centres, where availability within GeSY remains limited.
Referral abroad blocked over doctor’s specialty
A woman who needs treatment abroad has had her referral rejected by the Health Insurance Organisation (OAY) because it was submitted by a rheumatologist rather than an orthopaedic doctor.
The woman told CyFPA that a leg injury about a year ago was initially misdiagnosed as a minor sprain. A second doctor identified multiple sprains and told her the delayed diagnosis had led to a rare syndrome. Cryotherapy she subsequently underwent worsened her condition, she said, causing serious pelvic problems. She is now bedridden, unable to walk, and in severe pain.
She visited 12 orthopaedic doctors, none of whom would take her case, saying her condition was not orthopaedic in nature. A rheumatologist recommended evaluation at a specialist centre in Germany, but OAY rejected the referral on the grounds that it must come from an orthopaedic doctor.
Two medications in shortage with no restock date
A woman reported that a medication she has been taking has been unavailable for two months, with her doctors saying no alternative exists. An antibiotic with cortisone she takes for a lung condition is also in shortage, as is its equivalent alternative. Pharmacists could not tell her when either would be back in stock.
CyFPA referred the complaint to the competent body, which said the shortage of the first medication had been resolved through an alternative within GeSY. The second remains in shortage with no restock date confirmed, and its equivalent alternative is also unavailable. A further alternative is available for prescription, the body said, with efforts under way to increase its availability.
Father seeks exception to 36-session speech therapy cap
A father reported that his daughter, diagnosed with a rare and serious neurodevelopmental genetic condition, requires intensive continuous speech therapy but is limited to 36 sessions per year under the GeSY framework — covering, in his view, only a small part of her total treatment needs. He also reported that no mechanism exists for requesting additional sessions on an exceptional basis.
He is asking CyFPA to support a request for an increased number of sessions and a review of the framework to allow individualised assessment of such cases.
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