ALMA says WHO report is chance to fix GHS flaws

Local almaghshealthTop NewsWHO ALMA says WHO report is chance to fix GHS flaws Alma Odysseas Relevant News Property valuers group says online estimates can’t replace a surveyor 3 August 2026 ALMA says WHO report is chance to fix GHS flaws 3 August 2026 Deputy mayor accuses Polis municipality of negligence over fires 3 August 2026 newsroom 3 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber A World Health Organization (WHO) report on the operating model of Cyprus’s General Health System (GHS), dated July 6, 2026, has found excessive use of specialist doctors and inefficient use of available resources, according to ALMA. The report also points to skewed financial incentives that lead to an oversupply of low-value services, the party said. The WHO report says the increased use of specialist doctor services is not justified by the population’s actual health needs. Instead, it attributes this to an incentive system that rewards the volume of services provided rather than quality and patient outcomes, ALMA said. According to the ALMA movement, citizens experience the consequences of this daily. Valuable resources are directed towards services of limited value while real needs remain inadequately covered, it said, affecting access, waiting times and overall quality of care. The same picture is reflected in data from the Patient Rights Observatory of the Cyprus Federation of Patients’ Associations, which has systematically recorded complaints about the quality of services provided, access and waiting times. At the same time, this skewed operation is placing an increasing burden on public finances, ALMA said. The Health Insurance Organisation’s (HIO) budget rose from around €1.2 billion in 2021 to around €2.1 billion in 2026, and is projected to approach €2.3 billion by 2028. The party said that as public spending rises, so does the obligation to ensure that every euro translates into real value for the patient rather than reproducing the same distortions. ALMA noted that similar shortcomings had already been flagged by the Audit Office in 2022, and that four years later, the WHO is essentially repeating the same findings, which it said shows the problems remain without a substantive response. For this reason, the party announced that its MPs, Odysseas Michaelides and Litsa Drousiotou, tabled a parliamentary question to the Health Minister today on the measures the government intends to take, and submitted a proposal for the matter to be placed on the agenda of the relevant Health Committee. “The WHO report does not limit itself to identifying the problems but also records their causes and proposes specific interventions on financial incentives, primary care, referrals, contracts and resource allocation. Through ALMA’s initiative, these proposals are now before parliament, so that the government and the HIO can state clearly which they accept, which they reject, and on what timeline they intend to proceed,” the party said. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Property valuers group says online estimates can’t replace a surveyor Deputy mayor accuses Polis municipality of negligence over fires Rescuers search for 28 missing after ferry catches fire in Indonesia’s Madura island Leaked exams, dashed dreams: Why India’s ‘cockroach’ youth turned on Modi Record heatwave spreads across Korean peninsula, prompting emergency response Archaeologist recalls exhuming bones of Athalassa Hospital bombing victims Christodoulides says Cyprus ready to help fight Greece fires Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.