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From helping stroke survivors regain independence to supporting children with disabilities and older people struggling with everyday tasks, occupational therapy can be an important part of recovery and long-term care. It can also help people regain function after surgery or injury, manage conditions such as arthritis and adapt to physical limitations that affect daily life.
How such services will be accessed through Cyprus’ General Healthcare System (GeSY) is now at the centre of a dispute between the Pancyprian Association of Occupational Therapists (PAOT) and the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO), as negotiations enter their final stage.
PAOT is calling on the HIO and the Ministry of Health to clarify what terms are currently being discussed, after saying it became aware of changes to important parts of the proposal and possible parallel arrangements that had not been formally communicated during the consultation.
The association is asking for confirmation that no arrangements affecting the final outcome will be implemented before the official consultation process has concluded.
The issue has potentially significant implications for patients because the eventual GeSY framework will determine how occupational therapy is accessed and the criteria used to establish eligibility.
PAOT says access should be based on documented therapeutic need and objective clinical criteria. It argues that the universal nature of GeSY should not be undermined by exceptions and that patients requiring occupational therapy should be assessed according to their clinical needs.
The association is also insisting that the same rules apply to all professionals legally practising occupational therapy.
“We are not asking for preferential treatment. We are asking for equal rules for everyone,” PAOT said.
Why the timing matters
PAOT says it submitted a detailed proposal for the inclusion of occupational therapy in GeSY in March 2026, accompanied by a technical memorandum and an economic and technical study.
Following a subsequent request from the HIO, it prepared a counterproposal to the Organisation’s position, saying it committed significant scientific, financial and legal resources in an effort to reach an agreement.
The association says the HIO knew it was close to completing that counterproposal when it learned of new information concerning changes to key elements of the proposal.
That has led PAOT to question whether the profession is still negotiating on the same terms it has been working towards.
PAOT President Despina Kaimi said a consultation cannot function properly if the information being assessed changes without formal notification.
“When this happens, reasonable questions arise: What has changed? On what criteria? And why now, when the process is in its final stage?” she said.
The dispute follows years of discussions spanning two governments and successive political leaderships. PAOT says it has consistently participated in the process and responded to requests from the HIO, while some of the issues raised by the profession were later recognised as significant by the Organisation.
The association has also obtained an independent legal opinion which, it says, identifies serious questions concerning legality, equal treatment and the universal application of GeSY.
Those issues will now be formally presented to the HIO.
For patients, the eventual agreement will help determine whether occupational therapy is available through GeSY according to clear clinical criteria and whether those criteria are applied consistently across the profession.
With the consultation nearing its conclusion, PAOT is seeking answers before the final terms are settled.
