A new EU health report has revealed extensive use of Cyprus’s national health system (GHS) for inpatient services, hospital admissions and surgical procedures, with Cyprus recording the second-highest number of hospital discharges in the EU.
The high discharge rate contrasts with Cyprus’s relatively low bed-to-population ratio, though this is not necessarily problematic as many EU member states have been reducing hospital beds in recent years whilst embracing new health technologies and strengthening primary and day care.
The European Commission’s “Health at a Glance: Europe” report suggests the high discharge rate could potentially indicate premature patient releases to accommodate more patients, given the limited bed capacity.
The report notes that “hospital stays largely reflect differences in bed supply, clinical practices and payment systems that may incentivise hospitals to encourage bed use”.
The report shows positive developments for Cyprus’s healthcare system regarding unmet health needs.
Since 2019, Cyprus has reported nearly zero unmet needs, with remaining cases primarily involving dental services not covered by GHS.
By comparison, 2.4% of the EU population reported unmet medical care needs, while unmet dental care needs stood at 2.2%.
Cyprus also does not appear among member states with long surgical waiting times. The report identifies long waiting times as a key factor in annual unmet healthcare needs.
However, a gap remains in long-term patient care, with Cyprus spending less than 1% of GDP in this sector, an issue previously identified in GHS’s first three-year assessment.
Between 2019 and 2022, Cyprus recorded 259 hospital discharges per 1,000 inhabitants, with hospital occupancy at 55% in 2022 (when pandemic restrictions were still in place).
This compares to the EU average of 155 discharges per 1,000 inhabitants. Only Bulgaria had a higher discharge rate at 331 per 1,000.
Recent data from the Health Insurance Organisation supports these findings, with 105,874 GHS beneficiaries receiving inpatient care in 2022 out of approximately 900,000 eligible individuals.
In 2023, 83,166 surgical procedures were performed among 969,722 beneficiaries, maintaining a steady rate of around 10%.
Cyprus ranks second-lowest in bed-to-population ratio with 3.1 beds per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the EU average of 4.7. Bulgaria leads with 8.2, while Sweden has the lowest at 1.9 beds per 1,000.
Regarding diagnostic imaging, Cyprus recorded 179 examinations per 1,000 inhabitants between 2019-2022, predominantly MRI scans, compared to the EU average of 247 per 1,000 in 2022.
For specific procedures, Cyprus performed 158 knee operations per 100,000 inhabitants (EU average: 134) and 123 hip operations per 100,000 (EU average: 202).
