A bill amending the General Healthcare System (GHS) law to address legal ambiguities surrounding prescription rights has been submitted to the Law Office for legislative review, officials confirmed.
The proposed amendment seeks to clarify regulations regarding prescriptions issued by non-GHS doctors and dispensed by GHS pharmacists.
The issue gained prominence after a recent court ruling in favour of a citizen who sought access to medication within the GHS framework using a prescription from an external doctor.
The debate has intensified, with critics arguing that allowing non-GHS doctors to prescribe within the system could undermine its structure.
The honorary president of the Cyprus Federation of Patients’ Associations (CyFPA/OSAK), warned that “the only ones who will benefit from such a change are certain prominent doctors who never supported the system”.
Health Minister Michalis Damianos echoed these concerns, stating that granting prescription rights to non-GHS doctors could pave the way for parallel healthcare systems and a multi-insurance model.
“This was never the intention of the government, political parties, or the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO). If there is a desire to discuss a multi-insurance model, that should be addressed separately. However, now is not the time to alter the philosophy and structure of the GHS,” he said.
Damianou added that the system’s architecture was carefully designed after extensive consultations with experts, and any legal ambiguities will be rectified to ensure that its fundamental principles remain intact.
The controversy follows a court decision last Wednesday, which ruled in favour of a patient seeking medication under the GHS despite holding a prescription from an external doctor. The matter is scheduled for discussion in Parliament’s Health Committee on Thursday.
Public discontent is growing, with increasing opposition from stakeholders. The Social Alliance for the GHS, comprising 14 organisations, has also been activated and is expected to issue a formal statement on the matter.
Kouloumas: ‘The same doctors pushing their agenda’
“We have said it before, and we say it again: Hands off the GHS,” OSAK’s honorary president Marios Kouloumas said.
“Over the past few days, we are revisiting discussions that were previously dismissed. The same prominent doctors are returning with the same demands to serve their own interests,” he told philenews.
He warned that implementing such changes could lead to increased out-of-pocket costs for patients.
“People will continue paying contributions to the GHS, yet they will also have to pay €50–€60 per visit to doctors who opt out of the system while still being able to prescribe within it. This would allow them to charge as they wish, placing the financial burden on patients”.
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