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Former EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides stepped into the political spat shaking Cyprus’ health sector, warning that the head of Parliament’s Health Committee should not be fueling public confrontations, especially with the country’s main patient advocacy body.
In a written post, Kyriakides said she felt “deep concern” over the clash between Health Committee Chairman Efthimios Diplaros and the Federation of Cyprus Patients' Associations (OSAK). She reminded them that the Committee’s president is supposed to be a “guarantor of dialogue, balance and understanding,” not a source of tension.
Kyriakides praised OSAK as a “pillar” of the health system with a proven record of improving services and defending patient rights. Picking fights with such a body, she warned, only weakens trust and distracts from the real priorities.
“Patients need stability and cooperation, not public drama,” she wrote, stressing that dialogue and unity are essential for a functioning health system.
Recap:
Recap: The row between Health Committee Chairman Efthimios Diplaros and OSAK ignited after Diplaros highlighted what he called delays and denials of critical medicines, including cancer treatments like Ramucirumab. OSAK responded that he misrepresented the facts, politicized patient suffering, and unfairly targeted doctors on the approval committee. The dispute quickly escalated into internal tensions within DISY, prompting former EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou to call for calm, dialogue, and cooperation, emphasizing that patient trust and the smooth functioning of the health system should take priority over public confrontations.
