Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tamik]

Hello, I am thinking of moving from Malta to Cyprus. It's not that I have not enjoyed Malta for many years, but after a bad experience with the Health service, both private and public, I am seriously thinking of going to another country.

However, when I have dived into the forums I have been reading that the ambulances are not even driven by paramedics and are normal cars, and there is a sort of private service you have to contract (which some bad information appeared about them which I dont know if it is true or not). I have also read about private clinics scams of bringing unaware tourists and overcharging them huge fees.

What is the real situation of healthcare in Cyprus? are the public hospitals good quality and so recommended? is it better a private one? or if health is important for you, you'd better stay off from Cyprus?

Any info about the matter would be greatly appreciated. Really only health is the point about Cyprus which I am unsure about, as the rest seems quite like Malta.

[Sotos]

Since you are a foreigner I don't know how relevant public hospitals would be for you but in any case you can get better service in the private sector... but it will cost you. If you have health issues you will need to pay for a good medical insurance. Ambulances are proper ambulances and they came with paramedics... if the driver is also a parametric I don't know. I don't know how it compares to Malta, but WHO (World Health Organization) ranks Malta's Health System at number 5 and Cyprus at number 24. I don't know if those numbers are for private or just public health care and I don't know how meaningful they are... Germany is number 25, USA is 37.
http://thepatientfactor.com/canadian-he ... h-systems/

[Get Real!]

Yeah health is really bad here so please don’t come here. Go to the UK.

There’s a free super-hospital every 2km there and they’ll even accommodate your family and probably pay you just for being sick.

[Maximus]

You have to pay for both private and public healthcare in Cyprus.

I have used both and cant complain because they made me well again.

In my opinion, the standard is very good but that depends on what your benchmark is and what you are comparing it to.

[supporttheunderdog]

There are good doctors here....but you have to pay...and there is a bit of a scandal about Doctors in the public sector getting kickbacks from private clinics to send patients to them....

[RichardB]

Yeah health is really bad here so please don’t come here. Go to the UK.

There’s a free super-hospital every 2km there and they’ll even accommodate your family and probably pay you just for being sick.

Many a true word spoken in jest

[Tamik]

MAny thanks for your replies, they are very much appreciated.

It seems I would be going for the private health care, with a health insurance. The rank I suppose is for public healthcare, and I don't know how it is calculated, Malta just has one big central hospital in the mian island, and I would hardly say it is the 5th best in the world, really. Maybe this is the standard of the doctors, but the system is saturated and the gear and equipment doesn't seem super modern.

Another related question, are the private clinics able to cope with major problems, or do they redirect to the public hospital when something is too serious as happens in Malta?

[Tim Drayton]

Speaking as a foreigner living in Cyprus I would say that, on balance, the plusses far outweigh the minuses, but I wouldn't rate healthcare as being one of the plusses. On the other hand, I have limited personal experience of either the public or private healthcare systems here, so I can't really comment in too much detail.

[Robin Hood]

I have been using the Cypriot hospitals in both Limassol and Nicosia for the last ten years and I can honestly say that the medical side i.e. the treatment you receive is just as good as most countries. The problem with Cyprus is the administrative side, the way they get themselves (dis?) organised, like making appointments and arriving for appointments. It is archaic and sometimes complete chaos ..... but if you are in no hurry can be quite entertaining.

In patient ..... errrr not brilliant! The Cypriot system relies very much on 'family' (or the Sri Lankan maid) to do things like washing patients, feeding them, taking them to the toilet. The nurses tend have little or no regard for the patients. The food is not to my liking at all ..... often stone cold! At night the only TV is at the nurses station and is usually so loud it keeps patients awake ...... and if there is a local football match on TV , bring some ear plugs, and the 'Nurses' call button more often doesn't work!

If you are resident here and entitled to Govt. health care, then you are treated in exactly the same way as a Cypriot National, even being entitled to go abroad for medical treatment or being referred to the private system if there are undue delays.

Private sector can be expensive and you can get taken for a financial ride if you are not careful!

But I am still here so I can only say take the rough with the smooth, but the treatment is reasonable.

[Tamik]

So it is seems it is the reverse than in Malta, the public sends to the private. Many thanks for your comments, first hand experiences are most valuable. I will contact private healthcare insurance to make sure they include ambulance transport with paramedics, and that they can cope with any situation.