Cyprus’ national health system, Gesy, is set to receive further reforms aimed at strengthening public hospitals and digitising health services as well as general upgrades in the quality of health services provided to the public, the government announced on Wednesday evening.

“The substantial strengthening of the health sector and the provision of higher quality services to all residents constitute a fundamental pillar of policy and a top priority for our government,” the presidency of the Republic of Cyprus said in a post on X.

Referring to latest Eurostat data according to which Cyprus records the lowest rate of unmet medical needs in the entire European Union, the presidency concluded that Cyprus had a “functional, effective and accessible health system.”

Eurostat figures published in May revealed that 0.2 per cent of the Cypriot population said that their need for a medical examination or treatment had not been covered. This compares to a corresponding EU average rate of 3.8 per cent.

“This significant achievement confirms that [Gesy] essentially covers the needs of residents,” the presidency said, adding that the 0.2 per cent were a strong indicator for social well-being and proof of current health policies bringing “tangible results.”

Health Minister Michael Damianos in early June said that Gesy was “here to stay”, calling it the biggest reform in the health sector since the establishment of the Republic.

“We are systematically evaluating the system with the aim of continuously upgrading it and addressing weaknesses. In this context, we have promoted a series of legislation aimed at shielding Gesy. At the same time, we aim to improve the daily experience of citizens in hospitals,” Damianos said back then.

During its six years of operation, Gesy has registered over a million beneficiaries, who have made more than 21 million visits to general practitioners and roughly the same number to specialists.

By May, over 3.6 million visits had reportedly been made to radiological diagnostic centres, 17 million to laboratories, 43 million to pharmacies and a further 1.3 million to dentists. Additionally, 360,000 surgical procedures have been performed.

While original legislation for Gesy was passed in 2001, system first began operating in June 2019.