One in three beneficiaries of the General Health System (GHS) who underwent reassessment in 2023 were removed from the system because it was found that they did not meet the criteria to be eligible for healthcare through the General Healthcare System.
Specifically, as reported to Phileleftheros by the senior officer of the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO), Artemis Pitta, “the organization reassesses GHS beneficiaries to confirm that they continue to meet the criteria of the Law. In cases where it is found that a beneficiary no longer meets the provisions of the legislation, they are removed from the system. In this context, in 2023, approximately 31,600 reassessments were conducted, of which 13,000 led to the removal of beneficiaries.”
The majority of those removed from GHS were nationals of third countries or European citizens “who, while meeting the criteria at the time of their registration, namely having permanent residence in Cyprus, working, and making contributions to the Social Insurance Fund, later either had their residence permit expired, lost their jobs, or left the island and could not, according to the law, be beneficiaries of GHS.”
The reassessment of beneficiaries, Pitta said, “is a process that will be ongoing, and the organization’s goal is to group beneficiaries. For Cypriot citizens, things are certainly somewhat more complicated because it is difficult to prove whether someone permanently resides in Cyprus or not to meet the criteria set by the legislation for GHS beneficiaries.”
And regarding HIO, she said, “information comes regarding Cypriots living abroad who come to Cyprus when they need to undergo major surgical procedures and receive services through GHS without contributing to the Social Insurance Fund. However, not contributing to the Social Insurance Fund does not automatically disqualify them because they may belong to the category of unemployed. So, you understand that although we as an organization will try to isolate some cases, when, for example, a Cypriot citizen does not seem to use GHS for long periods and suddenly appears to undergo surgery. But again, it will not be easy at all to prove that this citizen is not a resident of Cyprus.”
In any case, Pitta said, “even for third-country nationals who are removed from the system, HIO proceeds with their re-registration, and this has happened several times, when they are re-employed and meet the criteria of permanent and legal residence in Cyprus.”
Meanwhile, before HIO, an issue has been raised by the Health Committee of the Parliament concerning European citizens who have been living in Cyprus for decades and remain on the island after their retirement but lose their right to receive services through GHS. A
ccording to the legislation, European citizens do not lose their right when they secure a permanent residence certificate in Cyprus.
However, as we are informed, HIO is awaiting more information about the group of European citizens referred to by the members of the parliamentary Health Committee as there is a possibility that they belong to different categories of beneficiaries.
