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Cyprus’ healthcare system handled a sharp jump in patients during 2024, with new figures showing more people than ever turning to hospitals, specialists and day-treatment clinics through the General Healthcare System (GHS).
Fresh data released Thursday by the Statistical Service paints a picture of a healthcare network under growing demand, fueled in part by more private hospitals and clinics joining the GHS program.
Hospital stays climbed noticeably over the past year, reaching 116,485 patient discharges in 2024. That marked a 9.1 percent increase compared to the year before, when just over 106,000 cases were recorded.
Private hospitals now handle most admissions connected to the GHS, accounting for nearly 60 percent of all discharged patients, while hospitals run by the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO) made up the remaining 40 percent.
Surgical cases topped the list of hospital admissions, followed closely by obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, cardiology and orthopedics.
Digestive system illnesses were the most common reason patients left hospital care, representing 12.2 percent of all discharges. Heart and circulatory diseases came next, followed by respiratory illnesses and cancer-related conditions. Injuries, poisoning cases, urinary system diseases and pregnancy-related treatment also made up a large portion of hospital activity.
The busiest area of growth, however, came from day-care treatment centers, where patients receive procedures or therapies without staying overnight.
Those cases jumped 11.2 percent in just one year, climbing to 355,619 discharges in 2024. Officials linked much of that increase to the addition of more private day hospitals under the GHS umbrella.
Private facilities again carried most of the workload, handling close to 58 percent of day-care cases.
Kidney-related treatments dominated day-care services by a huge margin, making up 43.5 percent of all cases. Oncology and hematology treatments also represented a significant share.
Outside hospitals, outpatient visits continued to surge across Cyprus. Total visits reached 8.1 million during 2024, up slightly from almost 7.95 million the previous year.
Private doctors remained the backbone of outpatient care within the GHS. Nine out of every ten visits took place in the private sector, while state hospitals and health centers handled the rest.
Patients made nearly 3.93 million visits to personal doctors, with more than 90 percent carried out by private physicians contracted under the national health scheme.
Appointments with specialists climbed even higher, reaching 4.17 million visits. Once again, private-sector doctors handled almost 90 percent of those consultations.
The report also included mortality data for 2024, showing 6,925 deaths recorded across Cyprus among residents and non-residents combined.
Men accounted for slightly more than half of all deaths.
Cancer remained the leading cause of death on the island, responsible for just over a quarter of all fatalities. Diseases linked to the circulatory system followed closely behind.
Respiratory illnesses, metabolic disorders and endocrine diseases also ranked among the leading causes of death, alongside mental health conditions and fatal injuries or poisoning cases.
