On-duty clinics to start work on Saturday (Updated)

On-duty clinics across the island will start operating on Saturday, the health insurance organisation (HIO) and Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantela announced on Thursday.

The minister said the move would strengthen the quality of services extended to patients. It is also designed to help unclog traffic at the accident and emergency departments.

“Establishing on-duty clinics is an indirect way of supporting Gesy,” the minister said, thanking all those who helped make it happen.

Hadjipantgela made a passing reference to criticisms related to the delay is launching the service, calling on everyone to now embrace it. “Let’s give it time to work and let’s all record any problems that arise and then solve them,” he said.

As the health ministry, he said, “we will intervene where and where necessary to ensure the operation of on-call clinics for the benefit of patients”.

Services will be made available to both adults and minors who are Gesy beneficiaries by personal doctors and paediatricians in a primary care setting and include the provision of urgent healthcare services for incidents that arise over the weekends and public holidays.

Accordingly, the beneficiaries should only contact these services when experiencing the onset of acute and alarming symptoms, when experiencing sharp and intense pains, when symptoms of a serious chronic disease worsen and when experiencing high fever accompanied by other symptoms.

Beneficiaries should not contact these services for pre-existing medical conditions, for issuing recurring prescriptions or referrals to other Gesy services and for cases where the beneficiary did not have the time to visit their general practitioner.

Importantly, the on-duty clinics operate by appointment only and the beneficiaries must first contact the clinic of their district by telephone during the specified work hours.

After an assessment of the problem is made and if it is deemed necessary, an appointment will be arranged for that date within the work hour limits.

The services will operate during weekends and public holidays between 9am-5pm on Saturdays and 3pm-7pm on Sundays and public holidays.

Contact telephone numbers:

For adults:

Famagusta – Famagusta General Hospital – 23200134 – Ippokratous 5310 Paralimni

Larnaca – Health center at the old Larnaca hospital – 24818743 – Grigori Afxentiou 40, 6023 Larnaca

Limassol – Linopetra health center – 25804250 – corner of Kolonakiou and Gypsokaminou 4102 Limassol

Nicosia – Latsia health center – 22849150 – Demetri Stavrou 11, 2224 Latsia

Paphos – Paphos General Hospital – 26803335 – Achepans 8026 Anavargos Pafos

 

For minors:

Famagusta – Famagusta General Hospital – 23200134 – Ippokratous 5310 Paralimni

Larnaca – Larnaca General Hospital – 24206132/24800438 – United States 6301 Larnaca

Limassol – Limassol General Hospital – 25202816/25801161 – Nikaias 1 4131 Kato Polemidia

Paphos – Paphos General Hospital – 26803335 – Achepans 8026 Anavargos Pafos