Better late than never? Of course. But it shouldn’t be the rule. Steps to head off trouble need to be taken in good time, above all when the protection and safety of the public are at stake. In short, we need forethought, not afterthought.
We are talking about unlicensed medical centres offering treatments. Operating without a licence, and largely unchecked, these centres may put the people who visit them at risk. Typically, issues like this only reach the public eye after an incident, a tragedy. This one surfaced after the death of Giorgos Mazonakis, a well-known Greek singer.
It has emerged that unlicensed medical centres and clinics were discussed when President Nikos Christodoulides met a delegation from the Cyprus Medical Association (CyMA).
So what needs to happen? Measures must be taken immediately, because this is a matter of health and of protecting patients. At the meeting, the President said the government was willing to bring in legislation to tackle the problem. The doctors, for their part, briefed him on moves that have begun at European level to promote an institutional framework protecting their profession.
That framework matters a great deal, and it should be where the whole effort starts. Alongside it, two other factors enter the equation, and both must be built into the plan. The first is changing the law to toughen penalties, since CyMA believes the current ones are no deterrent. The second, running alongside the first, is strengthening oversight, so that these services are monitored continuously and action can be taken in time.
Precisely because this is about public health, CyMA and the state must move quickly and effectively. Acknowledging the problem is plainly not enough. Action is needed, before events overtake us all.
