More financial support needed for patients sent abroad

Members of the House health committee are set to send a letter to President Nikos Christodoulides requesting that €4 million be included in the state budget for 2024 to support relatives of patients receiving treatment abroad.

During Thursday’s committee meeting, the issue was brought forward for discussion. Among the topics deliberated was the necessity of covering non-medical expenses, such as transportation, accommodation and sustenance, for patients and their companions when the state decides to send them abroad for treatment.

Committee head and Disy MP Euthymios Diplaros highlighted the urgency for the state to take responsibility, adding that the health ministry had only requested €350,000 from the finance ministry to cover specific subsidised patients abroad.

However, according to Diplaros, a 2020 study on the issue indicates that the required funding to support families seeking treatment abroad would amount to €4 million.

With all committee members in unanimous support of the request, the letter will be sent to Christodoulides by Friday the latest.

Diplaros noted the distressing circumstances faced by families due to prolonged stays of patients and their companions abroad, explaining that “out of 1,200 patients sent abroad, only around 10 per cent of them have their expenses covered by the state.”

Akel MP Marina Nicolaou reiterated her party’s stance on continuously developing Cyprus’s healthcare sector to reduce the need for patients to seek treatment abroad.

However, she also advocated for higher funds from the state for patients sent abroad.

“It is highly unfair that only 10 per cent of patients sent abroad for treatment receive state aid,” she said. “The state needs to play a more significant role for them”.

Other House health committee members also voiced their concern for the matter, including Diko MP Chrysanthos Savvides, Edek MP Andreas Apostolou and Dipa MP Michalis Yiacoumi.

They all highlighted the socioeconomic challenges faced by families and patients traveling abroad and urged comprehensive state support beyond medical expenses.

Additionally, Diplaros expressed his dismay over the uncertainty faced by the National Cancer Institute, whose inclusion in the 2024 health ministry budget is currently in doubt.

During the House health committee, the Cyprus patient associations’ federation (Osak) secretary general Marios Charalambides said that the National Cancer Institute “has limited authority, which prevents it from carrying out important work for patients.”

Osak already urged for the inclusion of the institute in the health ministry’s 2024 budget in a statement released on Tuesday.

The statement highlighted that a National Cancer Institute serves as the scientific body of expertise in cancer-related matters, tasked with organising and coordinating all activities concerning cancer management in Cyprus.