Cyprus' population is among the healthiest in Europe, according to the country's health profile, prepared as part of a joint effort by the OECD and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, in collaboration with the European Commission. The report was presented today at an online conference.
During the conference, participants noted the implementation of the GHS at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak and the resilience of the system when tested to the limit during the pandemic.
According to the report, overall, the population of Cyprus is among the healthiest in Europe. As of August 2021, the impact of COVID-19 on mortality and life expectancy was limited. The population has satisfactory health outcomes, despite risk factors such as smoking and obesity. Since 2019, health system reforms to establish universal coverage and improve overall efficiency have started to be implemented in the health system despite the ongoing pandemic, and changes in health care financing mechanisms have facilitated the ability to mobilize in case of peak needs.
In addition to improving coverage and resilience, the new General Health System is expected to improve accessibility by reducing waiting times.
As in several other EU countries, life expectancy growth in Cyprus has slowed down over the last decade. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy in 2020 remained stable at 82.3 years. The main causes of death are heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
In particular, lung cancer has been shown to be the leading cause of cancer mortality on the island in 2020, reaching 4.5% (268 cases) and ischemic heart disease, causing 633 deaths, a rate of 10.7%. Strokes also had high rates (360 or 6.1%) In the same year, COVID-19 was attributed to 131 deaths, a rate of 2%.
According to Erika Richardson, Researcher at the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies who prepared the report, smoking and childhood obesity are major public health issues on the island, with 33% of men smoking daily in 2019, and 14% of women, while obesity rates among children are the highest in the EU and alcohol consumption below the EU average.
He also noted that the report showed that health expenditure remains well below the EU average, accounting for 7.0% of GDP while per capita health expenditure in Cyprus remains consistently below the EU average, amounting to EUR 1881 per capita in 2019 compared to EUR 3523 for the EU as a whole. Expenditure on all components of the system is low. An important objective of the recent extensive health system reforms to introduce universal coverage is to reduce direct private expenditure, which has been the highest in the EU, by improving the financial protection of beneficiaries.
The report also showed that proportionately and in absolute terms, spending on outpatient care and pharmaceuticals is high in Cyprus, while spending on preventive services is among the lowest in the EU.
Access to health care, it showed, is generally good for most of the Cypriot population, but is affected by labour shortages, especially in the nursing sector. Also, despite the large overall number of doctors, there are shortages in the public sector.
The report also said that fundamental reforms in the health system were successfully implemented despite additional pressure on the system from the COVID-19 pandemic. Relatively high vaccination rates were a key factor in preventing deaths from coronavirus during the pandemic.
Although mortality rates from preventable and treatable causes are relatively low overall, there are disparities in access to various services that affect health outcomes.
For example, although cervical cancer screening rates are similar to the EU average, and despite the existence of a national screening programme, in 2019 only around 31% of women aged 50-69 years had undergone breast cancer screening in the last two years - far below the EU screening rate (59%).
Access to health care, according to the report, is generally good for most of the Cypriot population, despite high levels of expenditure. Recent reforms have allowed for greater flexibility in the system and maintained access during the pandemic.
Reforms introduced in the area of financing shortly before the pandemic allowed for greater flexibility in planning and contracting with service providers. This facilitated the development of mobilisation capacity in the peak phase of the COVID-19 crisis.
Cyprus was also able to rapidly develop the national vaccination campaign. The main capacity constraint is the continued shortage of health workers
Speaking at the presentation, Senior Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health, Irene Cotter said the report is a useful tool that will help shape policies in the future.
She referred to the need to create a multidisciplinary task force to implement a strategic plan.
The President of the Pancyprian Medical Association, Dr. Petros Agathangelou referred to the lack of capacity planning, as well as the shortages of nursing staff.
The Director of the Health Insurance Organisation, Andreas Papaconstantinou spoke about the need to protect the health system. He said that the SHI has just begun to stabilize after heavy use due to COVID, and has proven to be financially viable even after heavy use in the first few years.
The president of the Federation of Cyprus Patients' Associations, Marios Kouloumas, spoke about investment in infrastructure and said that overall health spending is still low.
He also spoke about a register of patients with chronic diseases in Cyprus, as 2 out of 5 people on the island suffer from chronic diseases.
Source: CNA
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