Medical association calls for tighter controls on medical services

Strengthening cooperation, tighter controls on health services and harsher penalties for impersonating medical professionals were at the centre of a meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides, Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides and the Pancyprian Medical Association (CyMA) at the presidential palace on Monday. “Health, like education, is among the most important sectors in which we invest as a state,” Christodoulides said, adding that this was also reflected in the state budget. Citing a source familiar with the matter, the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said one of the amendments discussed concerned the unauthorised practice of medicine by non-medical professionals. This would require an amendment to existing legislation and is likely to follow the model introduced in Greece. A related issue discussed during the meeting concerned medical professionals who are qualified doctors in other countries but are not licensed to practise in Cyprus. CyMA president Petros Agathangelou described the meeting as “useful and highly constructive”, saying the discussion covered both current developments and broader issues concerning the implementation and safeguarding of national health policies. Agathangelou said the aim was to utilise the expertise of CyMA and its members in drafting evidence-based health strategies and policies to ensure the effectiveness, safety and quality of healthcare services. He said efforts were already under way, in cooperation with the health ministry, to monitor and address issues involving so-called “alternative therapies” and centres offering such services that have come to light recently. Such practices, he added, had “the potential to lead to adverse outcomes and even endanger patients’ lives”. Asked about Christodoulides’ stance on the matter, Agathangelou said it was “highly supportive”, with the president expressing the government’s backing for the necessary legislative measures. According to Agathangelou, the ministry of health has completed the mapping of the medical centres in question and had moved forward with meetings with relevant state bodies to ensure coordinated efforts and introduce new regulations where deemed necessary. One of the amendments discussed concerned the unauthorised practice of medicine by non-medical professionals “The aim is to ensure that the services provided are offered at scientifically accredited centres, based on scientifically substantiated evidence and by suitably trained staff,” he said. Agathangelou also referred to plasmapheresis, a blood treatment which had been at the centre of the public debate on so-called “alternative treatments” in recent weeks following the death of Greek singer Giorgos Mazonakis. He said legislation governed the licensing of centres where medical procedures were carried out, ranging from hospitals and clinics to polyclinics and day-care centres. “It should not have taken a tragic incident involving a well-known artist to highlight the need to strengthen the supervisory mechanism,” he said, adding that relevant checks must be carried out systematically within the framework of existing legislation.