Hector Georgiou
A total of 1,234 requests to send patients abroad for medical treatment were received by the Health Insurance Organisation over the past year, according to information presented to the House Health Committee.
HIO Director Monica Kyriakou said 889 of the requests, or 72%, were approved, while 657 patients either travelled abroad or remain overseas receiving treatment.
Until last October, the Health Ministry was responsible for managing patient referrals abroad. That responsibility was transferred to the HIO 11 months ago.
The issue was discussed by the House Health Committee following a proposal by its chairwoman, Savia Orphanidou, amid reports of delays in recent months.
During the meeting, Kyriakou explained the procedure that must be followed before a patient can travel abroad for treatment. Cases are divided into three categories:
- Life-threatening cases, in which the patient must leave for treatment within 48 hours.
- Urgent cases, which must be processed within seven days.
- Regular cases, which must be processed within 30 days.
Kyriakou said Gesy doctors are responsible for submitting applications to send patients abroad and must indicate the seriousness of each case.
She also clarified that the rejection of an application does not automatically mean the patient is not entitled to treatment abroad. In some cases, an application may have been completed incorrectly by the doctor.
A health ministry representative also told the committee that work is underway to allow the travel and accommodation expenses of people accompanying patients to be paid in advance. This is already possible in certain cases but currently applies only to vulnerable people.
