Part 1: Healthy Changes For Expat Healthcare In Cyprus

26 Apr

Cyprus is introducing a new National Health Service for citizens in Cyprus including Expats Living and Working Abroad.

This service is opening its doors from 26/4/19.

This is a completely new service that has been in preparation for a number of years, including massive business and structural changes.

6 Impacts of Health Services Changes

Set out in this series of articles:

What the changes mean in accessing the health services
How Expats qualify for the Cyprus Health Service
How to Register
The Cost to Working Expats and Business
Tax Expenses You May Pay
The Impact of Brexit
Protecting Your Family’s Health

1. What the changes mean in accessing the health services

Up until 2019 the Cyprus National Health service requires you to attend the one general hospital per town for any ‘Cyprus National Health Treatment’. For all services, GP, Consultant, Xray and Scans, laboratory testing, inpatient, outpatient and pharmacy services.

Every doctor, clinic, therapist, and pharmacy outside the General Hospital building was a private practice.

Over the last few years contracting has been taking place to bring private Medical Professionals into the Cyprus National Health Service.

Those doctors that have contracted to the Cyprus National Health Service are now available to provide services at their private surgery or clinic.

Citizens that qualify for health services will have no longer have long queues and questionable service standards in their time of need.

Every Citizen will be registered with a GP and that will be their access point to Cyprus National Health Services - not the General Hospital.

The GP’s in turn will make referrals to consultants within the Health Service. As with any free health service, there will be appointments and waiting times for further treatment within the Cyprus National Health Service.

Key Dates:

26/4/2019 Online Registration for Cyprus National Health Service opens

1/6/2019 Outpatient treatment commences under the Cyprus National Health Service

1/6/2020 Inpatient Treatment Commences

Cyprus Health Services has always been a register based service. Without a Medical Card, you don’t qualify for “Free National Health Services”.

Free services is not entirely true, small fees have always been attached to most treatments and prescriptions.

The new service is slightly different in that the new Cyprus National Health Service is ‘free’ at the initial point of contact.

Every Citizen is entitled to a a limited number of free GP appointments each year - depending upon age.

2. How Expats qualify for the Cyprus Health Service

Expats Living and Working Abroad in Cyprus could qualify:

If you are an Expat and have a Medical Card now, then you already qualify to register for the Health care service
If an EU Expat qualifies for an ’S1’ form from their home country National Health service, they could qualify for Cyprus National Health. An S1 is issued under the EU Social Welfare Agreement to transfer national Healthcare between member states for EU Citizens. Generally it is only issued to Expats of state retirement age with some exceptions. The Expat would need to be registered as a resident of Cyprus.
If an Expat is Living and Working Abroad in Cyprus and paying Social Insurance then you can qualify for the Cyprus Health Services

Expats Working Abroad outside Cyprus, but tax resident based in Cyprus, and not paying Social Insurance in Cyprus for work done, will not qualify for a medical card.

3. How to Register for Cyprus Health Services

You have to Register Online for the Service.

People can register from 26/4/19.

To do this you need your identity documents including social insurance number - which is different to a tax number.

Individuals have to do this.

As part of the process you must choose which GP to register with.

If your current GP is not contracted to the Cyprus Health Service, then clearly you must find another.

Each GP can only have a maximum number of patients registered at any time, the GP cannot have more than 2500 patients.

To Register go the Cyprus health Service website (greek with some english): www.gesy.org.cy

This is the only way to register.

Alternatively Retired Expats could register by completing the appropriate form to submit for first time registration with their S1 form.

Remember Cyprus Health Service inpatient services doesn’t start until 1st June 2019, so any GP consultation with your new GP is paid privately before that date.

ProACT are offering a Registration Service for Cyprus Health System. Contact us to book free online review to get started,