Today is a historic day for Cypriot society. Three years ago, GESY was implemented, the biggest social reform since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus.
With the implementation of GESY, medical facilities have been upgraded, actions and policies have been implemented which focus on the patient and his/her needs. The overall budget of the Ministry of Health has increased by 79% since 2013, proving the political will and determination of the Government and the President of the Republic Mr. Nicos Anastasiades personally to support the health sector.
The benefits for citizens in terms of expenditure on medicines are also significant. An 85% reduction in the money that patients would spend on medicines was recorded. The coverage of the cost of medicines for patients reached €197 million.
An increase of 295% in the number of surgeries was recorded. In particular, in 2021, 100 thousand surgeries were performed on GHC beneficiaries, compared to 34 thousand surgeries performed in public hospitals before the integration of private hospitals into the health care system.
OAS spending on care services for the years 2020-2022 amounted to EUR 3.5 billion. Projects were carried out to modernize and upgrade hospitals, 13 new ambulance stations were created with a significant reduction in patient waiting time. Also, an ambulance coordination centre was created which operates on a nationwide basis.
The Government is planning other actions, some of which are included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan "Cyprus - Tomorrow". A total of €81 million will be allocated through the "Cyprus - Tomorrow" Plan.
The General Health Service is being strengthened by strengthening the supervision and control of the health system, the implementation of e-health for all is being rolled out, infrastructure is being upgraded and modernised, such as the creation of a Unit for the Treatment of Infectious Diseases, the creation of a First Aid Department for children at Makarios Hospital and the construction of a new mental health hospital. The creation of new facilities for the blood centre and the expansion and establishment of dialysis units to cover all cities are also being promoted. The provision of specialized care for children is being promoted.
The Government's aim is to ensure that the resilient health system created for the benefit of citizens remains resilient and accessible to all.
(PM/MB/IC)
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