The government’s health care priorities are fully aligned with those of the federation of patients’ association (Osak), President Nikos Christodoulides said on Tuesday.

Addressing representatives of patient organisations and government officials during the inauguration of the organisation’s new offices in Nicosia, Christodoulides said the attendance of five cabinet members reflected both the importance attached to the health sector and the role of Osak as an institutional partner of the state.

“The presence of so many ministers is indicative of the success of Osak,” he said, adding that the federation is approached by the government “as partners and fellow travellers”.

The president said Osak had established itself since its foundation in 1986 as “a substantial and reliable institutional partner of the state”, representing dozens of organisations and thousands of patients across Cyprus.

“Osak has never raised an issue that is beyond reason and that does not aim to help patients as a whole,” he said.

Christodoulides referred to recent health sector reforms, including the appointment of a patients ombudsman, the planned establishment of a national cancer institute and the creation of a national clinical documentation centre.

He said the government was continuing efforts to strengthen and upgrade the national health scheme (Gesy) with emphasis on service quality.

The president also referred to public hospital infrastructure projects, saying the state had invested €145 million in them.

Addressing the health services organisation (Okypy) chairman, Marinos Kallis, he said delays had emerged in one of seven agreed timelines and warned that the organisation would soon receive a formal letter urging faster progress on infrastructure works.

“The accident and emergency departments are of the utmost importance,” he stressed, adding that they had helped improve the management of incidents.

Christodoulides further drew attention to legislation concerning palliative care, rehabilitation centres and the national ambulance agency, describing them as measures intended to strengthen the health system and improve access to services.

Osak president Charalambos Papadopoulos described the opening of the new offices as “a particularly important milestone” for the federation.

He announced that Osak now represents 42 member organisations and around 90,000 patients nationwide, participating in advisory bodies, and policy consultations concerning public health, pharmaceutical policy, mental health and rare diseases.

“Osak has managed to convince the state of the credibility of its work,” Papadopoulos said, adding that the federation had built “relationships of trust and cooperation through seriousness, consistency and documented positions”.