By Evie Andreou
A TOTAL of 15 patients have been airlifted abroad with air-ambulances through the Health ministry’s financial assistance scheme from the beginning of the year, permanent secretary Dr Christina Yiannaki said on Thursday.
Yiannaki, presenting an evaluation of the scheme which provides financial aid to patients who require treatment in private hospitals or abroad, said it also covers costs for specialist doctors from the private sector or abroad to examine or treat patients.
Until August 31, more than 810 people were refereed to the private sector and 768 were sent abroad for treatment. The majority of cases referred to the private sector concerned eye and heart conditions, robotic prostate surgeries and MRI scans mainly for heart and liver conditions.
As regards referrals abroad, Yiannaki said they were for severe and urgent conditions, but also cases of rare diseases which are sent to specialised health centres in Europe through agreements and cooperation between EU member states.
Beneficiaries of the scheme are Cypriot citizens and citizens of EU member states who live permanently on the island, and who suffer from conditions that cannot be diagnosed or treated in public hospitals. They also qualify if the treatment they need cannot be provided by state hospitals in time, risking a deterioration of their condition.
“The main objective of the scheme is to provide quality healthcare to our patients,” Yiannaki said.
Patients may apply directly to the health ministry to benefit from the scheme, or through their physician. The request is then reviewed by a specialist committee, that reports to Yiannaki who has the final say to approve or reject a request.
“The subsidised patients’ agency operates with immediacy and transparency, and it evaluates each case separately,” she said.
In the case where patients receive treatment by the private sector or abroad without first going through the procedure, they have the option to file for financial aid up to four months after the treatment took place.
But the ministry, following the auditor general’s reports on discrepancies concerning squandering public money, has enforced stricter controls on referrals and invitations of specialists to avoid unjustified calls. It has also made agreements with private hospitals in Cyprus and abroad for reduced costs of treatments, Yiannaki said.
Between 2013 and 2014, we have saved €8.5m, she said, and as regards to inviting specialist doctors, we have reduced costs from €817,000 in 2013 to €291,000 this year.
“Our aim is to help as many patients as possible. This does not mean that we have cut down on the quality of healthcare,” she said.
For robotic prostate surgeries, Yiannaki explained that the ministry has agreements with medical centres in Greece and Germany for 42 per cent less than what the private sector charges in Cyprus, and without age restrictions. The local private centre had set the age margin at 65.
“As regards heart surgeries, we have also made agreements with two private hospitals in Cyprus and we have introduced what we call a coupon policy, where patients may benefit from a reduced price agreed with the ministry,” Yiannaki said.
The same policy will be introduced for eye surgeries, she said.
“This is a temporary solution, until a tender competition is completed, and we are given the green light by the Auditor-general and the legal service,” Yiannaki said.
The ministry also has agreements with hospitals abroad, namely France and the UK, for liver transplants, and has already sent nine patients to France for treatment.
