The Law Office of the Republic rejected a proposal by the Cyprus Medical Association (CyMA) in 2022 that would have allowed courts to suspend the licences of doctors facing charges, according to correspondence obtained by Phileleftheros. The issue has resurfaced after the case of a gynaecologist who is the subject of several medical negligence complaints came to light on Monday.
The case was reported by Politis newspaper. One complaint alleged that the gynaecologist reassured a patient while she was dying of stage three cancer.
Discussions on amending the Doctors Law began in 2021. CyMA sent its positions to the Health Ministry, which forwarded them to the Law Office. They included a provision allowing the chairman of CyMA’s disciplinary council, or the vice-chairman if the chairman was unable to act, to apply to the court before which a doctor is charged for an order temporarily suspending the doctor’s registration, and with it their licence to practise.
Under the draft, the court could order a suspension of up to two years, or longer in exceptional circumstances, if it was satisfied this served public health, the health of individuals, the public interest or the interests of the doctor concerned, or if exceptional circumstances made it fair and proper.
The Law Office rejected the proposal on June 3, 2022, in a reply to the Health Ministry. It said no purpose would be served, since the disciplinary council can suspend a doctor from practising for whatever period it sees fit after hearing a disciplinary case. A temporary suspension by court order “comes into conflict with the prescribed disciplinary procedure”, it said, which guarantees a fair trial and upholds the presumption of innocence until a disciplinary penalty is imposed.
CyMA has repeatedly said the procedure provided for by law does not allow it to act effectively to protect the medical profession and, by extension, patients. In a statement on February 2, 2024, it said that it and the Doctors’ Disciplinary Council “do not have the power to suspend a doctor’s registration preventively” before a doctor is convicted of a disciplinary offence. It said it had long urged the authorities to create a legal framework allowing a doctor’s licence to be suspended while an investigation or a case concerning a serious criminal offence is pending.
The Doctors Law was amended in June 2025.
