Health Ministry underlines health care rights for Europeans

ALL MEMBERS of the European Union and European Economic Area are entitled to the same health-related rights and conditions as Cypriots, the Health Ministry announced yesterday.

In order to be entitled to this right, patients must be holders of the appropriate European forms or the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

Those who are entitled to healthcare at state hospitals are European citizens who fall under the following categories: tourists, students and unemployed pensioners who are permanently residing in Cyprus. It also includes European workers who have been working in Cyprus for over a year, Europeans who are receiving benefits following a work accident and patients sent to Cyprus for specialised treatment.

Inactive Europeans – meaning citizens who aren’t employed and aren’t receiving a pension – who are permanently residing in Cyprus will not be covered by the scheme. These citizens are advised to have private health insurance.

Meanwhile, the Ministry yesterday announced that all higher education students studying in Cyprus and abroad are entitled to free medical care.

According to the ministry, in order to use their right, students need to apply for a Medical Card, presenting a receipt of their tuition fees for the present academic year or a confirmation of enrolment, or present their Cyprus Youth Organisation student card.

For PHD students, they will need to present confirmation of their studies by the university, which will clearly state the terms and conditions of their tuition, as well as the salary that is provided and confirmation by the government that they don’t already have free medical care.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.