MS sufferers ‘forced to lock themselves up at home’

By George Psyllides

ON TOP of having accessibility problems, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are also experiencing delays in getting tested while the government does not seem to agree on the inclusion of a particular drug in state pharmacies, it emerged yesterday.

“With their behaviour, some people remind you of your handicap in any way … that you do not have a right to this town and it is best if you lock yourself at home,” 39-year-old Andreas, an MS sufferer forced to use a wheelchair said in a protest letter to the authorities.

Andreas is one of around 2,000 people with the condition in Cyprus.

His testimony as well as that of other sufferers, were cited during a news conference marking World MS Day and highlighting the fact that many are forced to stay at home because of the obstacles they face when venturing outside.

Apart from the isolation they feel, MS sufferers also experience delays in receiving treatment.

MS association chairman Savvas Christodoulou said that despite promises to improve procedures, there are still big delays on waiting lists as regards diagnostic checks in state hospitals.

And the state does not seem to adopt the association’s request to procure a drug that, as they say, helps MS sufferers when walking.

The excuse is that the drug is supportive and not therapeutic, Christodoulou said.

“We understand the financial difficulties faced by the health ministry, as well as the reduction of the budget to buy medicines,” he said. “But we all agree that it is a patient’s right to have the necessary treatment recommended by their doctor as soon as possible.”

Health Minister Philippos Patsalis said state hospitals offered a series of therapeutic treatments that hindered development of MS and act pre-emptively to tackle relapses.

Despite budget cuts, the state has increased spending on MS drugs – €5.5 million in 2013 and an estimated €6.0 million this year.

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.