Cyprus’s health services need more coordinated oversight, Patient Advocate Marios Charalambides said in a written statement on Tuesday, warning that the current system is too fragmented.
“Recent incidents and reports concerning the provision of unauthorised health services, or health services delivered below proper standards, point to a wider issue of oversight and control,” Charalambides said.
The current framework, he added, “appears to be fragmented, with different authorities and services each checking individual aspects of a health provider’s operations, without there always being a complete check of the service itself that is ultimately delivered to the patient.”
A valid operating licence, a registered healthcare professional, an approved device or a legally sold medicine, none of these automatically make every use of them permitted or medically appropriate, Charalambides said.
He said “the key question is whether the specific service, as a whole, is provided by a properly qualified person, in the right setting, with the right equipment, used correctly, and above all, for a scientifically documented and permitted medical indication.”
Patient protection and safety, Charalambides continued in his statement, “cannot rely solely on piecemeal checks.”
“Genuine, coordinated oversight of the whole activity is needed, with clear responsibilities, effective information-sharing between the relevant authorities and services, and the ability to step in early when practices that could endanger public health are identified,” he said.
The goal, he said, is not simply to check whether each individual “piece of the puzzle” is lawful on its own, but to ensure the end result, the service the patient actually receives, is lawful, safe, high-quality and scientifically documented. That, he noted, is where a modern, effective oversight mechanism for health services should focus.
“The legality of equipment does not legitimise every use of it, and the legality of a health service provider does not legitimise every service it provides,” he concluded.
(Information from Cyprus News Agency)
