Patients are at risk while waiting for approval of specialised treatment requests submitted by their doctors to the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO), officials warn.
Members of parliament have criticised the HIO for serious delays and rejection of applications, with the Cyprus Federation of Patients’ Associations renewing calls for faster integration of new specialised medicines into the national health system.
The average waiting time for application review by the HIO committee is three weeks, a period that doctors, MPs and patient organisations describe as “dangerously long, especially for cancer patients.”
Efthymios Diplaros, chairman of the parliamentary health committee, referred to “oncologists who called, outraged that while they consider a treatment appropriate for their patients, the HIO committee rejects their requests.”
MP Andreas Apostolou identified three aspects of the issue: “Delays in processing applications, rejection of some requests, and the fact that many specialised medicines should already be integrated into the health system.”
The HIO’s Named Patient Pharmaceutical Committee examines requests every two weeks, processing approximately 80 applications per session, with an 80% approval rate. A separate emergency committee meets twice weekly for urgent cases.
Officials report the HIO department operates with just three seconded officials from the Ministry of Health, with two scheduled to return to the ministry by June’s end. The organisation recently hired one new official who is currently in training, with two more expected.
Patients have complained to the Federation’s Patient Observatory that while awaiting approval for specialised treatment, they discovered their doctor never submitted the request to the HIO. Doctors cite difficulties with the “complex” and “excessively demanding” electronic application in the health system software.
Marios Kouloumas, honorary president of the Cyprus Federation of Patients’ Associations, reiterated calls for “integrating as many specialised treatments as possible into the health system so only necessary cases reach the Named Patient Committee, preventing dangerous and unnecessary delays.”
The issue is expected to be addressed in parliament next week, where the HIO will be called to provide explanations for the problems created.
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