A woman needed intensive care two years ago after undergoing plasmapheresis at an unlicensed centre in Cyprus, according to Dr Marinos Sotiriou, director of the American Medical Centre in Nicosia, who has raised concerns about unauthorised centres offering the procedure.
The patient’s life was at risk and her condition was “very bad,” Sotiriou told various media outlets. She has since recovered, he said, but he stressed the subject needs to be discussed carefully so that plasmapheresis itself is not demonised. “It’s a specific treatment, with protocols, that saves lives,” he said.
The treatment, according to Sotiriou, had taken place at a premises presented as a clinic. He alleged — though this has not been independently confirmed — that the premises did not hold the required licences.
In a separate interview with state radio, Sotiriou said complaints had been filed with both the Health Ministry and police, adding that he did not know the outcome of the investigation.
It wasn’t clear which authority held supervisory responsibility, he said, which complicated the case. The centre in question, he added, was known abroad and attracted patients from various countries, mainly people with long Covid.
What police say
Police confirmed in an official statement that they had received a complaint from the Health Ministry about a specific treatment reportedly offered by a particular medical centre.
They said they received a letter from the Health Ministry in November 2023 concerning a patient who needed hospital treatment after developing serious complications reportedly linked to a treatment she had received.
Police investigated the case and, once inquiries were complete, forwarded the file to the Law Office. According to police, the investigation did not produce sufficient evidence to establish criminal offences.
The debate comes amid heightened scrutiny of plasmapheresis following the death of Greek singer Giorgos Mazonakis, who died after undergoing a similar blood-cleansing procedure at a clinic in Athens. Two doctors have since been arrested on a charge of fatal exposure to danger in connection with his death.
