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The newly opened Hadassah Medical Center in Limassol is already facing scrutiny over how it provides medical care, following reports of complaints to the Health Ministry, claims the center has strongly challenged.
The dispute centers on questions any patient would want answered: Who is providing their treatment, are the doctors authorized to practice in Cyprus, and do the services fall within the center’s license?
A report in Thursday’s Politis newspaper raised concerns about medical services allegedly provided through telephone contact with doctors abroad, staffing levels, and licensing. Hadassah responded with a detailed statement describing the coverage as inaccurate and misleading.
The center says that, based on what has been communicated to it, no specific complaint is pending against it, and it has received no finding calling its current lawful operation into question.
The Health Ministry, however, has confirmed that an investigation is underway.
What is being disputed?
Hadassah challenged five aspects of the newspaper’s reporting, including the suggestion that it was under ministry scrutiny following complaints. It said that wording created an impression of serious operational problems that was not supported by any finding communicated to the center.
It also rejected the description of a facility staffed by “only three doctors.” According to its statement, it had already provided a list of 15 doctors and two clinical dietitians.
A further list of 15 doctors was being discussed with Hadassah, it added, although the necessary approvals had not been completed.
On the claim that patients were being treated “over the phone,” the center said the report misrepresented a process in which a local doctor requests a specialist second medical opinion.
That distinction matters for patients: A doctor seeking advice from a specialist is different from someone abroad directly providing treatment. Whether the arrangements comply with Cyprus law is among the issues the ministry’s examination must clarify.
Hadassah also defended its current operation as a licensed medical and radiological diagnostic center, accusing the report of creating confusion over its licensing status.
Finally, it denied that plasmapheresis, a procedure that separates plasma from the blood, had been performed on any patient at the center.
The company said it had instructed its legal advisers to take immediate action to protect its name and reputation and requested corrections to the disputed reporting.
What the ministry says
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, the Health Ministry’s deputy director general, Ms. Constantinou, said officials were examining the legislation governing the center to determine whether any of its services breach the law.
She said the ministry was taking all appropriate steps provided for by law to investigate the case fully.
Asked whether the Cyprus Medical Council would examine the possibility of medical practice by someone not authorized to work as a doctor in Cyprus, Constantinou said the council and the Pancyprian Medical Association would become involved depending on the ministry’s findings.
For patients, the immediate issue is clarity about who is responsible for their care and what services the facility is authorized to provide. The ministry’s investigation has yet to establish a violation, while Hadassah maintains that its current operation is lawful.
