Doctors linked to “suspicious” wellness clinics face checks, medical body warns

Local doctorshealthLarnacaTop News Doctors linked to “suspicious” wellness clinics face checks, medical body warns Giatroi Apergia Relevant News Doctors linked to “suspicious” wellness clinics face checks, medical body warns 16 September 2026 European Parliament votes to accelerate defence investment and procurement 16 September 2026 Cabinet approves €11.16bn budget for 2027, surplus set to widen 16 September 2026 Marilena Panayi 16 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The Cyprus Medical Association plans to investigate doctors working with clinics offering wellness, weight-loss, “rejuvenation” or anti-ageing services, once the Health Ministry completes its planned nationwide mapping of such centres. The checks would apply to both licensed and unlicensed premises. Association president Petros Agathangelou announced the move on Wednesday at a press conference on fake treatments, illegal medical practices and doctors’ involvement in centres operating without the required licences. The Association’s intervention follows recent revelations and a new investigation into a specific centre in Larnaca. Police received a complaint over the centre after Health Ministry inspectors found equipment there during a check. The same centre had previously drawn attention from the relevant authorities, after drugs, hormones and other preparations illegally imported from Greece were found there last spring. The Health Ministry has separately instructed a nationwide survey of premises offering high-risk invasive treatments or services marketed as wellness, anti-ageing or antioxidant therapies. The survey will record who provides each service, where, in what professional capacity, and with what equipment. Vetting the collaborations The Association is waiting for the results of that mapping before examining which of its members work with these centres, and under what conditions. “After the Health Ministry maps all these centres, the Association will check which doctors have a working relationship with them, licensed and unlicensed,” Agathangelou said. He explained that the Association has the right to carry out such checks, and will examine what measures it can take to limit doctors‘ involvement in activities that could expose them professionally or disciplinarily. “We have the right to do this, and we will look at how we can help minimise doctors’ involvement in activities that could cost them their careers,” he said. Agathangelou called on doctors to resist professional offers or practices that go against scientific ethics. “There are many pressures out there, and our colleagues need to resist them. Our members need to be strictly briefed. Given everything that has come to light in recent days, we have a duty to identify the gaps and address them,” he said. Junior doctors explained Asked whether a doctor can work at a medical centre without having completed specialist training, Agathangelou clarified that newly qualified doctors awaiting the start of their specialty training can work as junior doctors. “What happens is that these young doctors, while waiting for their specialty training to begin, turn to various centres and work as junior doctors,” he said. He made clear, however, that this is a separate issue from assigning an inexperienced doctor duties or responsibilities beyond their training and experience. “Employing a colleague without experience and giving them managerial duties or responsibilities that don’t match their experience is something the Association has a duty to look into,” he said. Being registered as a doctor is not the same as holding a recognised specialty. Each specialty is defined by law, and a doctor cannot present themselves as a specialist in a field without the matching recognised title. Probe into misused emblem Michalis Anastasiadis, chair of the Association’s Medical Ethics Committee, said the Association’s legal adviser had been instructed to investigate the use of an emblem appearing beneath the name of a specific doctor. “Instructions were given to the legal adviser to investigate the emblem beneath the name of the specific doctor,” he said. Anastasiadis said isolated cases had been identified among Association members where such symbols had been used improperly, calling the practice “absurd.” The investigation is expected to determine whether that use creates a misleading impression about the professional’s qualifications, specialty or institutional standing. What to check before you visit Giorgos Miltiadous, chair of the Association’s Scientific Committee, called on citizens to check for a clinic’s operating licence and the recognised specialties it is entitled to offer. “Every hospital must have its operating licence on display, along with the specialties it is permitted to offer. When visiting a centre, people should look for this information,” he said. He said the absence of a displayed operating licence should prompt people to seek more information about the premises, the people providing the services, and their professional qualifications. “When there is no operating licence on display, the person should look into that case further. Displaying the licence is a legal requirement,” he added. “We will hunt down charlatanism” Agathangelou said the problem is mainly found in unlicensed centres, where services with medical content may be offered without the oversight that applies to licensed hospitals. “Just as a recognised specialty is defined by law, this phenomenon is concentrated in unlicensed centres. It’s the phenomenon of charlatanism, and we have a duty to hunt it down, especially when doctors are involved,” he said. Agathangelou said protecting public health is a shared responsibility and called for cooperation among all relevant bodies. “We have a responsibility for public health. We all need to join forces and look at the gaps that have built up over the long history of charlatanism,” he concluded. 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