Public Healthcare
Public healthcare in Cyprus is administered by the Ministry of Health and is largely financed by taxes and mandatory social service contributions.
Access to public healthcare is determined by residency status. Anyone staying in Cyprus for three months or more is considered a resident, allowing them to register with the General Healthcare System (GHS) and select a local doctor. This can be done online (see details below).
Primary care is delivered in both urban and rural areas through a network of health centres, sub-centres and dispensaries of various levels based on location and size of population served.
Ambulatory-care services are also delivered by the outpatient departments of five district- and two specialised hospitals.
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The General Healthcare System (GHS) is a modern, patient-centric healthcare system with the aim of delivering quality healthcare services to beneficiaries.
The main features of the system are:
- Universal coverage of the population
- Equal and equitable treatment of all beneficiaries
- Provision of a comprehensive package of healthcare services
- Freedom of choice of provider by the beneficiaries
- Social reciprocity
How to Enroll
In order to have access to the GHS Healthcare Services, all interested individuals must be registered in the GHS Beneficiary Registry and a personal doctor List.
In order to enrol in the GHS Beneficiary Registry, the interested party must be registered in the Civil Registry, or the Registry of the Migration Department and/or the Social Insurance Services. In addition, and in order to comply with the criteria that must be fulfilled in accordance with the GHS Law of 2017, the Health Insurance Organisation may request additional certificates and/or evidence (see here).
The enrollment process is described in detail here.
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What healthcare services are provided?
- Personal doctors
- Outpatient Specialists
- Labs
- Pharmacies, Medical Devices and Supplies
- Nurses, midwives and allied health services
- Allied health professionals
- Inpatient Healthcare Services
- Dentists
- Palliative Care
- Rehabilitation care
- Home Care
- Ambulance service
- Accident and Emergency Department
Categories of Beneficiaries
- Citizens Of the Republic of Cyprus (RC)
- European Union (EU) Citizens
- Non-EU Citizens
- Refugees And Persons with a Status of Supplementary Protection
- Beneficiaries' Dependants
- Other Categories
Find out more about Beneficiaries' categories.
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The main source of financing for the GHS is through contributions.
The Contributors’ Categories are:
- Employees
- Employers
- State
- Self-employed
- Pensioners
- Income-earners
- Government Officials
- Persons responsible for the payment of remuneration to Government Officials
Therefore, as an employee working in Cyprus, in either the Public or Private Sector, you will have to pay contributions as a percentage of your salary. As of 01/03/202, employees contribute 2.65% of their salaries, while employers contribute 2.90% on the salaries of every person employed by them.
More information on the contribution rates, co-payments and personal contributions can be found here.
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There are 8 State Hospitals in total and their contact details are those below:
- Nicosia General Hospital, For information: +357 22603000
- Archbishop Makarios III Hospital, For information: +357 22405000
- Limassol General Hospital, For information: +357 25801100
- Larnaca General Hospital, For information: +357 24800500
- Famagusta General Hospital, For information: 23200000
- Paphos General Hospital, For information: +357 26803100
- Troodos Hospital, For information: +357 25806700
- Polis Chrysochous Hospital, For information: +357 26821800, +357 2682181
Apart from the State Hospitals, Health Centres are also in operation in Cyprus and you can find their contact details here.
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The European emergency number 112 works alongside 199 as the emergency number in Cyprus.
You can also call the Ambulance Call Coordination Center at +357 22887171.
When calling for an ambulance, you should have the following information at hand:
- Location of the incident (district, area, full address)
- Contact telephone number
- What is the emergency that requires an ambulance
- Number of persons that require assistance
- Provide information in case of other danger
- Wait in line and listen to the instructions of the call centre
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There are many pharmacies in Cyprus, especially in highly populated areas such as Paphos, Larnaca and Limassol.
Cypriot pharmacies are typically open from 9am until noon or 1pm, when they close for a few hours, and reopen from 3pm to 6pm or 7pm. Night pharmacies are open from 8am to 10pm but can be contacted 24 hours a day if medication is needed.
Minor and over-the-counter drugs can usually be purchased without a prescriptions, but all other medications will require a prescription received through a doctor’s visit.
Private Healthcare
Though the public healthcare system in Cyprus caters to the majority of citizens, many citizens opt for treatment at private healthcare centers, to access a variety of options and facilities and for shorter waiting times.
A list of private hospitals and health centres operating in Cyprus can be found here.
The costs of private healthcare could be covered out-of-pocket per individual visit/ treatment received, or by signing up for private health coverage.
The private sector offers two main private health insurance options — international private medical cover and local private medical insurance.
Treatment is often paid for upfront by the patient and is reimbursed within a month. Depending on the policy, it shouldn't be necessary to notify the provider before receiving treatment, although most companies do offer a 24-hour toll-free number should patients have any issues or queries.