Cyprus’s Health Ministry is proposing mandatory liability insurance against professional negligence for doctors, putting draft regulations out for public consultation.
The draft Doctors (Medical Negligence Insurance) Regulations 2026 set out which professionals must be insured, the minimum financial limits of cover, and the basic requirements each policy must meet.
The public can submit comments and suggestions through the e-Consultation platform until 18 September 2026.
Who the requirement covers
Under the draft text, those required to hold medical negligence insurance include self-employed doctors, employed doctors, and doctor-owned companies. It also covers doctors practising at an institution or hospital under a special licence, specialist doctors from abroad working in Cyprus under licence, and doctors temporarily providing services in Cyprus under the freedom to provide services.
The requirement is that every doctor be insured, without specifying that each must buy an individual policy. Depending on the type of employment and the final terms, cover could instead be provided through an employer’s or a company’s policy.
Cover of €450,000 and €900,000
For a doctor providing services as an individual, whether self-employed or employed, the proposed minimum limit is €450,000 per incident and in total for each annual insurance period.
For doctor-owned companies, the equivalent amount is €900,000.
The draft also provides for at least €50,000 in legal defence costs, on top of the base limit covering compensation, claimant costs and interest.
The deductible, the portion of a claim borne by the insured, could reach up to €5,000 per claim.
What counts as medical negligence
Medical negligence is defined as professional liability for physical or psychiatric harm, illness or death of a patient, arising from a negligent act, error or omission in the practice of medicine.
Policies would not be allowed to exclude negligence incidents linked to specific conditions across the board, such as pregnancy complications, hepatitis, AIDS or genetic abnormalities.
They also could not exclude liability arising from a failure to adequately inform a patient and obtain their consent.
The draft does allow more specific exceptions, including the transmission of AIDS or hepatitis itself, pandemics, certain new emerging diseases, intentional or dishonest acts, and medical acts carried out under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Annual insurance and cover after leaving the profession
The insurance contract would need to run annually and include an additional 30-day period for notifying claims.
The draft also provides for an extension of at least two years’ cover for pending liabilities of doctors who stop practising during the insurance period.
The insured would be required to notify the insurance company of a claim against them within seven working days of receiving it, or as soon as reasonably possible. For circumstances that could lead to a future claim, the proposed notification deadline is 30 working days.
Insurance companies would issue a specific Medical Negligence Insurance Certificate, stating the insured party, the duration of cover, the insurance limit and defence costs.
Policyholders would be required to present the certificate or the full contract to the Cyprus Medical Council when requested.
