Cyprus-Forum.com

[handmadewithlove1]

Hi, My husband and I are thinking about moving to Cyprus when he retires in a year and a half or possible sooner as he could retire early. But one of my husbands worrys is about the health care over there.

I understand that now Cyprus has joined the EU that we would still come under the national health service over there and if you have the correct heath card document you get free treatment. Is this correct?

My hubby is on alot of tablets due to past heart problems and is Dibetic and takes tablets for that too, he is aged 63.

Would he have to pay for perscriptions or would he get his medication free? He gets all his medication free here in the UK.

His other concern is if the hospitals over there are able to perform all types of operations over there, and if taken ill and needed hospital treatment, would that come under the National Health Service or would you have to pay?

Can anyone enlighten me please?

Many Thanks
handmadewithlove1

[nhowarth]

Hi handmadewithlove,

Here's some info I got from the Cyprus Ministry of Health some time ago.

Health Care Entitlement in Cyprus under EU Regulations

Under EU regulations, health care can be provided in Cyprus for people from other EU Member States. The health care is provided on the same basis as is provided to a Cypriot national and is available at any of the Government Medical Institutions in Cyprus.

To obtain heath care in Cyprus, you must initially be in possession of an appropriate E - Form or a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from your own Member State. You are entitled to health care in Cyprus if you fall into one of the categories listed below. You will also see from the table below, which particular E - Form you need.

Category of Person - Required ‘E’ Form/Card

Temporary visitor or tourist - E111 or EHIC

Pensioner coming to live permanently in Cyprus. - E121

A worker from another Member State posted to work - E111 or EHIC
in Cyprus less than one year.

A worker from another Member State posted to work - E106
in Cyprus for more than one year.

A U.K. person under Pension age coming to live - E106 (residual)
permanently in Cyprus.

A student. - E111

Dependants living in Cyprus but insured worker - E109
living in another Member State.

A person from another Member State in receipt of - E111 or EHIC
Unemployment Benefit and seeking work in Cyprus.

A person in receipt of Industrial Injuries Benefit or - E123
an occupational disease.

A person referred to Cyprus for specific medical treatment. - E112

What Medical Treatment do these ‘E’ Forms/Cards entitle you to?

Form E111 or EHIC

The form E111 or EHIC entitles you to receive any medically necessary treatment that you may need during your stay in Cyprus. If you have not got a form E111 or EHIC when attending at a Cyprus State Hospital, it may be possible for you to obtain such a form by contacting your “home” administration who may be able to provide you with the relevant documentation.

If you do not have the Required E – Form or EHIC, the state hospital authorities are entitled to charge you for the treatment provided, but you may claim reimbursement later from your home Member State.

Forms E106, E109 & E121

If you are in possession of any of these forms, you must register with the Cyprus Ministry of Health. On arrival in Cyprus, you should contact a Cyprus State Hospital or the Ministry of Health, where you will be given an application form for a Cyprus Medical Card. The completed application form should be submitted to a state hospital or the Ministry of Health together with the appropriate E-form and supporting documents required according to instructions. If you are a Pensioner, you will also need some form of proof to confirm that you are receiving a Pension from your “home” State. The application will be processed by the Ministry of Health as quickly as possible. The Cyprus Medical card will entitle you to receive health care in Cyprus for the duration covered by the card.

Form E123

This E123 Form entitles you to receive treatment in Cyprus for your industrial injury or occupational disease only. To receive treatment for any other medical condition under the EU Regulations, you must also be in possession of another E-form. The form E123 should always be presented to the hospital authorities when treatment is required for your industrial injury or prescribed disease.

If you have been issued with form E123, and have decided to take up permanent residence in Cyprus, you should let the Cypriot authorities know that you hold this form.

Form E112

You should immediately present this form to the state hospital authorities when you attend for your treatment.

if you have any queries with regard to the information contained above, you should contact the appropriate authorities in your home state or alternatively the Ministry of Health in Cyprus at:

Ministry of Health,
10 Markou Drakou Street,
1448 Lefkosia

Telephone: +357 22 400207 or +357 22 305354
Fax: +357 22 305346
Web site: www.moh.gov.cy

I belive the above information is being updated. I've just checked the Ministry of Health website and the above information has been removed.

Regards

[handmadewithlove1]

Hi Nigel,

Thanks for the information you have posted to me, Thanks for getting back to me so quick.

So it looks like as long as you have the correct paperwork then we would get any future medical treatment and hospital treatment free over there yes?

Regards

Sue

[Niki]

Hi Sue

Call 0191 218 7777 and they will help you with what forms you need and what the deal is for retired people and healthcare in Cyprus.

You get an E121 form sent and take it to your local general hospital in Cyrpus to register when you get there.

[rulla]

yes but please also be aware that if your going to get your medicines free from the hospital they are not the same high standard as geting your medicines from chemists outrside the hospitals as hospitals tend to give out the cheapest versions and if your diabetic you dont get anything free you still pay for everything.

[handmadewithlove1]

Hi Nicki,

Thank you for your help, am most grateful.

I will do that.

Many thanks
Sue

[nhowarth]

Hi Sue,

Providing you qualify,, treatment is free.

What actually happens is that there are reciprocal arrangements between the EU member states and that the Cyprus Government charges the UK Government for the treatment UK citizens receive here under the EU regulations.

[devil]

yes but please also be aware that if your going to get your medicines free from the hospital they are not the same high standard as geting your medicines from chemists outrside the hospitals as hospitals tend to give out the cheapest versions and if your diabetic you dont get anything free you still pay for everything.

That is nonsense. Generic products are identical to the branded product and you can buy the generic medication at the pharmacy, as well. Just to take one example, I pay <£1 for a box of 100 generic 500 mg paracetamol. whereas a box of 24 500 mg Panadol (rigourously identical) is £1.04, over 4 times the price. You can find the prices of pharmaceuticals here

[Crivens]

Medicine from a pharmacy though can vary in price. Obviously it isn't a NHS perscription price (£6.75?) for everything (don't know when you retire what happens though), but at least you don't need to a get a perscription from a doctor like the UK.

For example I had asthma as a kid, but I didn't need a pump after about 16 years old. Then about 3 years ago in the UK I was cutting the grass and had an attack. Because it was a Sunday I went straight to Sainsburys which had a Boots inside it (open till 4pm). It was a pretty bad attack (you can die from them!) but I managed to stagger to the counter and gasp out I needed an inhaler. They wouldn't give me one no matter what I said but gave me directions to a doctors open on a sunday. When I got there, still dieing, the receptionist told me to phone them for an appointment. And yes I had to phone them. I got my phone out and she said I had to go outside. I went outside, phoned (I could hear it ringing inside), and she called me back in and showed me to a waiting doctor (because there was no one there). He listened to my chest and then said I needed an inhaler. No s**t sherlock. He then gave me a perscription and I zoomed (Subaru Turbos can really shift) at high speed back to Boots before it closed/I died. Luckily there were no speed cameras I can tell you.

Cyprus example : I walk into the pharmacy next door to where I live, ask for an asthma pump, they give me one, I pay. Infact I pay a fair bit less than the UK NHS. With conversion to GBP I think I paid about £3.20 here and £6.75 back in the UK. Nice.

Saying that, a friend of mine has appetite suppression pills to lose weight and apparently in the UK they pretty much treat you like scum before giving you an NHS prescription. She used to buy them privatly instead as they were much nicer about things. Still, if you put up with the humilation (she works out at the gym like 5 days a week for as long as I remember but just has one of those bodies if you know what I mean) then the NHS cost is £6.75 for a month (about £60 private, plus private consultation of around £30 each time), compared to about £70GBP in Cyprus.

Cheers

[beverley10]

I have direct experience of Getting life saving medecine in Cyprus.My husband is on heart pills and i was on hrt.We did all the right things,got the correct forms from UK and applied at Paphos general hospital for repeat prescriptions.It was a nightmare!A very unhelpful and surley woman shoved a form at us and said "fill it in at home and send it to Nicosia".We asked how to fill it in and why did they need all this information when the forms we had with us we had been told were sufficient.She just ignored us and dissapeared into a rear office!We went downstairs,spoke to an Englishman and asked his help.He sent us to what appeared to be outpatients where we joined a queue.Eventually it was our turn and a very nice young lady looked at our paperwork from UK,entered it on her computer and arranged for us to see a doctor.We explained our needs to the doctor,she wrote out a prescription and we then joined another queue at the pharmacy at the hospital(we paid cy£1.40 each for the prescription).We eventually got to the window at the pharmacy and hubby got his pills(not the same as his usual) and mine were not in stock!This took us all day and was very stressful.I ended up giving up the hrt(not life threatening) and hubby tried twice to repeat the first experience and gave up after a 2 day wait at the hospital and coming out with flu and went to the local pharmacy who dished them out willy nilly but at an enormous cost.As a result of all this expense when we do'nt have private incomes we have had to come back to the UK.We are sad as we love Cyprus and our Cypriot neighbours and friends but we now feel safe and will not be going back there to live unless we win the lottery!