Shortages of medication, changes in the information technology system, insufficient patient education, and ignorance among citizens, perhaps even among some healthcare providers, about how the General Health System (GHS) operates, are recorded four years after its implementation.
The Patient Observatory of the Cyprus Federation of Patients’ Associations (CyFPA) recorded a total of 52 complaints in January.
Most of them concerned the category of “Medicines and Treatments,” and according to the analysis of what citizens reported to the Patients’ Federation, in most cases, citizens reacted because they did not receive proper information from their doctors or pharmacists when filling their prescriptions.
Cases were also recorded where chronic patients, seriously ill, failed to obtain their treatments due to shortages they were unaware of and endured the inconvenience of transitioning to state pharmacies without ultimately being served.
“Unfortunately, we find that in many cases our patients do not know how the GHS operates, and this concerns not only medication issues. Perhaps our doctors should try to provide more details to their patients when they ask. Also, we must say that all the details are posted on the GHS website, and citizens can refer to them. Of course, we believe that the CyFPA possibly needs to intensify its efforts for a more accurate information of citizens about the system,” said Michalis Markou, responsible for the operation of the “Patient Rights Observatory” of the CyFPA, to Phileleftheros.
He did not fail to mention “the delay that is indeed observed in the inclusion of some innovative treatments in the GHS: This is an issue that the CyFPA has highlighted many times. The process is ongoing; however, we believe that it should probably be expedited because there are cases where citizens cannot secure the drugs they need in any way.”
An indicative case of ignorance or inadequate information of citizens is the case of a citizen who submitted the following complaint to the Patient Observatory:
“I am a beneficiary of the GHS, and the system violates my right to choose my medication. Two medications I take, (…) and (…), the system does not allow my doctor to prescribe them to me, and it chooses (…) generic only and (…) generic only for me. Meanwhile, in the approved list of GHS drugs, there are others.”
As explained to Phileleftheros by the senior officer of the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) Gnossia Achniotou, “The first fact is that the doctor is entitled to prescribe any drug (of the same category desired) provided that the beneficiary pays the difference in the price of this drug with the price of the cheaper drug for which no II contribution is provided.”
A case where the doctor cannot prescribe any medication included in the GHS is when this drug is out of stock (due to factors usually concerning import companies), and HIO in order to prevent the inconvenience of patients, prohibits its prescription until new quantities are imported into Cyprus.
In this case, when there are shortages, doctors are informed by HIO about the temporary removal of the drug from the GHS drug list.
Therefore, the doctor could inform the citizen accordingly. It is noted that drugs return to the GHS drug list immediately after new quantities are imported into Cyprus. (It is noted that the drugs for which the citizen complains have been out of stock for quite some time.)
Another complaint concerned a drug for which the II contribution is €25.83.
“For the above pharmaceutical product (for which there is no corresponding drug with the same active substance in the GHS), there is a large II contribution of €25.83. The contribution is very high, and there is no other corresponding drug with a lower contribution.”
“In this case, beneficiaries should be aware that drugs for which there are no other corresponding drugs or equivalent treatments do not have an II contribution, and the GHS fully reimburses them. Therefore, there is a possibility that the beneficiary is not informed correctly. For there to be an II contribution means that there is a corresponding drug or equivalent treatment in the list.”
The Patient Observatory received complaints regarding diabetes measuring devices. The lack of diabetes measuring devices troubled diabetics for quite some time.
However, the gap has been filled, and diabetics have started to be served.
The medication Methotrexate 15 mg and 25 mg is in shortage: This particular medication is indeed experiencing shortages due to supplier-related issues. HIO and the Ministry of Health are making efforts to secure quantities of this medication through other channels.
A complaint received by the Patient Observatory concerned a new treatment that has not yet been included in the GHS. The treatment is for kidney patients and costs €85.
To be included in the GHS, it needs to go through the procedures followed by HIO. Patients were advised to proceed with a specific request to the Nomination Requests Committee of the Ministry of Health to obtain it.
Finally, a mother contacted the Patient Observatory and filed a complaint about the operating hours of overnight pharmacies. As she stated, her 19-month-old child needed specific medications at midnight, and the pharmacies were already closed.
