FOREIGN insurance companies owe the state thousands of pounds in medical bills incurred from the treatment of foreign nationals at state hospitals over the years, the House Health Committee heard yesterday.
Deputy Adamos Adamou revealed that one company owed £70,000 since 1993.
The committee yesterday discussed the readjustment of the price of medical services offered to foreigners visiting the island and locals who are not eligible for free medical care.
Speaking after the meeting, Adamou said that because of the low costs, Cypriot patients were in effect subsidising medical care provided to foreigners.
Adamou said it was unacceptable that under the current pricing system foreigners received treatment at a very small cost.
“Most tourists coming to Cyprus have insurance coverage and we have come to the point of charging the foreign insurance companies unacceptable amounts,” Adamou said.
He added that many companies owed the state thousands of pounds.
Adamou suggested a readjustment of the billing system in light of the island’s accession to the European Union.
Health Ministry Permanent Secretary Andys Tryfonides said the readjustment concerned non-eligible foreigners and a small percentage of the local population – 10 per cent.
“It concerns foreign visitors, or tourists or other visitors who in any case are not eligible at the moment, but based on harmonisation instructions will become eligible for medical care in Cyprus – not free but their costs will be footed by their countries and the plans that cover them,” Tryfonides said.
He added: “Thus there is an issue of substantial readjustment of medical care costs charged to non-eligible patients and this must be done with practical ways instead of the scientific billing method, which would take a long time and is difficult to apply.”
Tryfonides suggested working out practical ways to readjust fees to reflect the real cost.
He said hospitals could refuse to admit a patient before securing payment of the fee, but was quick to add: “I have to say that in Cyprus there are sensitivities, which do not allow us to follow this simple practice.”
The chairman of the medical association, Antonis Vasilliou, said the situation was unacceptable, resulting in the increase of the number of those seeking treatment at state hospitals, thus marginalising the private sector.
