The parents of a 25-year-old left blind and hemiplegic after a traffic accident are fighting for his transfer to a specialised rehabilitation centre abroad after the Health Ministry rejected their funding request.
Kyriacos Charalambous and his wife Georgina have sent three letters to the ministry requesting approval to send their son Andreas Xenios Charalambous for treatment, but were told his case doesn’t meet the criteria for financial assistance.
Andreas was seriously injured on 30 November 2024 when he opened the door of a moving car in Larnaca and fell onto the road, suffering severe head trauma. According to the police bulletin, he was a passenger in a car driven by a peer.
“Police woke us at 4am, knocking on our door,” his mother told this newspaper. “They told us quickly, go to the hospital, your son is in danger.”
He was initially taken to A&E in Larnaca, but the severity of his injuries required immediate transfer to Nicosia Hospital. There he underwent a craniectomy and was intubated in the ICU after suffering serious craniocerebral injury.
“They told us he wouldn’t make it. They gave us no hope,” his parents said.
Andreas remained in the ICU from 30 November 2024 to 24 February 2025, then was transferred to Melathron for rehabilitation. During his hospitalisation, he needed another transfer to Nicosia Hospital for brain valve placement. His mother said the surgery lasted 10 hours and his ICU stay lasted about a month.
When he returned to Melathron for rehabilitation, Andreas didn’t speak or move. His parents have travelled daily from Larnaca to be by his side.
Signs of progress
Today, Andreas is haemodynamically stable. He moves his hands and feet and is starting to speak, though he cannot see. His mother said it took months to establish his blindness, and the parents brought a private doctor from Israel to confirm it.
Despite the difficulties, he shows signs of improvement. He sits in a chair, repeats words and shows long-term neurological improvement.
The parents brought the Israeli doctor, Dr David M. Linton, for a second time. He assessed that if Andreas goes to a specialised centre for therapy by a team of specialists for at least three months, his condition could improve significantly.
According to the latest medical report delivered to the parents on 18 January 2026, Andreas continues to present blindness and left hemiplegia. He has begun to articulate words clearly and repeats what they tell him, though he struggles to find the right words. He moves his body intensely when anxious and suffers from anomia and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Ministry rejection
The parents’ request for financial assistance for treatment abroad under the Scheme for Financial Assistance for Health Services not offered in the Public Sector was rejected.
In a letter dated 20 November 2025, the Health Ministry said the medical report from the GP, Dr K.N., does not substantiate that going abroad would lead to substantial health improvement. The Physiotherapy Specialists Committee recommended that therapy can be done at a rehabilitation centre in Cyprus, as provided in Article 2 of the Financial Assistance Scheme.
The process requires a medical report from a doctor who must be either a neurologist or neurosurgeon contracted with GESY. That doctor must then submit a request to the Health Insurance Organisation.
The parents claim the doctors at Melathron who monitor Andreas do not consent to his transfer abroad, causing them great disappointment and uncertainty about their son’s future.
The couple adopted Andreas when he was two years old. “When we leave this life, who will care for him?” they ask.