Cyprus has developed over the years in many sectors, such as real estate, international business in Cyprus and shipping. The health care sector is no exception to this development, and after extensive planning and preparation, Cyprus is proud to offer the equivalent of the UKs NHS in the form of GESY.
What is GESY?
GESY (general healthcare system) is a new healthcare system that is people centered and aims to provide a high-quality service. GESY will provide this service via coverage of the population, equal treatment to all, a comprehensive package of healthcare services and the choice of provider. GESY is designed for medical procedures to be priced per unit and procedure that will ensure that abuse of the systems by doctors who perform unnecessary procedures for financial gain will be avoided.
GESY will be implemented in two stages with the first commencing on June 2019. This first phase will roll out the introduction of outpatient healthcare, covering the provisions of personal doctors, outpatient specialists, pharmacists and laboratories.
Foreign Nationals Gain Access to GESY
In recent developments, the cabinet of Cyprus has granted a temporary measure for those unable to register to the new system to use the services of GESY. This will ensure that those who cannot register due to inadequate documents, such as the elderly who have old Cypriot ID cards but no Cypriot citizenship or those who are awaiting residency status can still receive a high quality of health care via GESY.
Impact of GESY on Cypriot Healthcare
Before the creation of GESY the main avenue of healthcare in Cyprus has been in the private sector. GESY is designed to enroll the services of hospitals and doctors who opt into the program. Following phase one a large number of private hospitals, clinics and polyclinics have opted to participate in the national health scheme.
Currently, more than 700 specialists’ doctors have enrolled to the healthcare scheme, with the creators of GESY confirming the necessary number of specialist doctors for the first phase of GESY has been reached. Although the numbers have been met some large private hospitals have stated they will not join the healthcare scheme and will continue to operate independently. GESY continue to negotiate rates and terms with these establishments.
Future of GESY
Following the successful implementation of phase one GESY will be rolled out to the remaining health care services in phase two scheduled for June 1st, 2020. These services include:
- clinical dieticians
- therapists
- speech pathologists
- physiotherapists
- clinical psychologists
- nurses and midwives
- the accident and emergency departments
- dentists
- palliative healthcare services
- medical rehabilitation services.
GESY Impact on Cyprus
GESY is raising the standard of procedure and trust within the health industry to match international markets. This has raised Cyprus worldwide profile and attractiveness, thus leading to an increase in international investment in Cyprus for those who wish to set up businesses and live on the island resulting in an increase of property investment in Cyprus.
