Health authorities examine €100,000 bill from UK hospital

A UK hospital is demanding payment in the region of €100,000 for treating a Greek Cypriot heart patient, the Health Ministry confirmed yesterday.

The outstanding bill is currently under examination by the Medical Council, which approved treatment for €23,000. If the Medical Council, which is made up of doctors, finds the treatment given to the patient was necessary, then the state will foot the bill, even if the amount is over and above what was originally agreed. If, however, it does not, the patient will have to pay.

Nikos Vakanas, of the Health Ministry’s department responsible for sending patients abroad for treatment, said this was not the first time this had happened.

“The Health Ministry sets a certain amount for patients’ treatment. Sometimes more tests are necessary and the patient gives the hospital the authority to carry out more tests. The hospital then bills us for the outstanding amount for the additional services it has offered,” he said.

In this case, the UK hospital had billed the state for treble what had been agreed. The Medical Council was now examining the claim before deciding whether to settle the bill.

Normally, patients should inform the state before authorising additional treatment. In this case, this had not happened.

Patients are treated abroad if they cannot be treated in the public or private sector in Cyprus or if for some reason their treatment is deemed urgent and there is no time to treat them here, Vakanas said.

Each case is examined by a panel of doctors, including a doctor from the private sector, to determine whether treatment aboard is necessary. Although there is a ceiling amount of €171,000 per treatment, there are cases when the government exceeds this. These exceptions are only allowed with the approval of the Ministers of Health and Finance, Vakanas said.

“There are cases when we pay more. We don’t just say we’ve reached €171,000 and refuse to pay more if the patient needs more treatment. We don’t just say let him die. We do pay, it’s just the ministers first need to approve the amount,” he said.

In the past, for example, the state has paid over €1 million for patients’ treatment because it was deemed necessary.

Regarding this latest claim, it is still under review as it has only recently come to the Health Ministry’s attention.

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