Cyprus-Forum.com

[pamandpaul88]

kalimera.

pesky paul again, with more questions !!!!

i have been trying - mostly in vain !! - to get a definitive answer to the following:

is there an equivalent to the NHS (FREE) health service in Cyprus, and, if not, how much does healthcare cost, and how much is a BUPA type of health insurance, if it's available ????

i have heard of an EU health card, which lets people who were from UK, but now living permanently in Cyprus, to return to UK, "on holiday", and be entitled to free NHS healthcare.

can anyone please give me any info on this?

many thanks

[Pete_D]

Hmmm.... could be a bit more can of worms with this one as well!

People on holiday in Cyprus (or anywhere in the EU I believe) can get an E111 medical card (I think it is called) enabling them to get local medical services for free because the NHS pays.

If you are permanently resident in the country - e.g Cyprus - then you have to pay just like everybody else. SFAIK to see the doctor you must pay, for example.

What a lot of ex-pats do - which I personally believe is wrong, but I won't go into why now - is to "fool" the UK government by keeping themselves "resident" at the address of a family member, for several months of the year. Then if they need something on the NHS they are able to go back to the UK for it. Some British ex-pats prefer this not just for monetary reasons because they believe the medical services provided are better in the UK than Cyprus (note: this is not my viewpoint, I do not have enough knowledge to express an opinion). So this would, for example, enable one to claim on the NHS and have an operation done in the UK as an in-patient. (Of course you would need to make arrangements to stay with a family member etc. afterwards and would need to be available to fly back to the UK as soon as the date for your operation came up). My parents have retired to Cyprus, and they do not believe in doing this. Instead, they have savings which they would be able to use should the need arise to pay for some operation as they get older (which fingers crossed it never will be needed). I am sure one could get medical insurance to pay for any costs the same as one can in the UK, but I do not know about this.

Well, that certainly does not answer everything but I hope it helps a bit. I am sure I can find out more info from my parents if necessary, but also I expect other ex-pats on here will be able to advise further.

Regards,
Pete

P.S: My info applies for the RoC - sorry, I should have said that at the beginning!

[pamandpaul88]

thanx Pete - your coments are very helpful

we dont want to take the p1ss out of Cyprus by getting free "NHS" but just need to know if we get ill that we wont have to sell up and return to the sh1thole we sometimes call the UK to get affordable healthcare.

we dont mind paying some towards our healthcare and would be very grateful for a BUPA type healthcare insurance type plan at areasonable cost

just wanna be prepared when we move over very soon

house sold at full asking price, so here we come !!!!!

[Niki]

Good luck Paul (and Pam) hope your move goes well. Very exciting!

Niki

[nhowarth]

Hi Paul & Pam,

You can read about Healthcare services in Cyprus for EU nationals at: http://www.cyprus-property-buyers.com/c ... thcare.htm

Regards,

[maidmarion]

Hi Paul,

Good luck with your move.
Just wanted to add this post as it may be helpful.There is such a thing in Cyprus as a hospital card for free hospital treatment,if you are working and pay social insurance and earn less than a certain amount you may qualify for it-not sure how it works if you are not working but worth a try.
If you go onto the governemnt website,I belive there is a link on the cyprusnet front page there should be more information there and you can download the forms.
This does only cover hospital treatment I belive though not doctor's visits.
As for private healthcare there are lots of options available all the major banks offer it as well as insurance companies.
Bupa and PPP are offered as well as the Cypriot Insurance companies own policies,and as in the UK cost is dependant on the level of cover you require however Bupa is the most expensive!
Hope this was a little bit of help.

[RichardB]

Pete and Pam

You will get free treatment in an emergency at the General hospitals in the major towns.

But this is just emergency treatment.

Most Cypriots and expats go private. A lot of Cypriots pay into a scheme at there work which covers them for medical treatment ( I know my sister in law pays just the first £200 of any treatment required.)

Most expats take out private medical insurance and these costs vary substantially according to the policy taken out (there is a thread somewhere on the forum discussing this.)

If you see a doctor without this expect to pay around £25 for the consultation + thie cost price of any medication/treatment required.

When I was over last november I got stung by a wasp and suffered an allergic reaction

Total cost for consutation and treatment including a short 4 hour stay in the clinic including follow up consultation came to just over £400

Luckily i was covered ......Make sure you are also

[Niki]

Can I just ask one question I'm not sure about. Do I need to get hold of an E106 residual form from the UK before I get to Cyprus for me and family? I did phone the government offices about this but was told I wouldn't need one but I'm not too sure now.

[joanna]

Why not get it just in case?

[Niki]

Where from?