Over 900 Gesy patients approved for treatment abroad

A total of 932 requests for Gesy beneficiaries to receive medical treatment abroad were approved out of 1,304 submitted during the first year since responsibility for the process was transferred to the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO). Since October 2025, 24 cases have been classified as life-threatening and another 86 as emergencies. The referrals concern patients requiring medical services that cannot be provided in Cyprus through Gesy within the necessary timeframe. According to the HIO, the average time between submitting a request and admission to a hospital abroad was 1.5 days for life-threatening cases, five days for emergencies and 22 days for non-urgent cases. During the first 12 months under the HIO’s management, most referrals were to hospitals in Germany (28.4 per cent), followed by Greece (21.2 per cent), the United Kingdom (18.5 per cent) and Israel (11.7 per cent). The medical specialties accounting for the highest number of referrals were haematology, oncology, paediatrics, orthopaedics and ophthalmology. The HIO also arranged 101 medical air transfers to European countries and Israel. Of these, 48 involved non-urgent cases, 30 were emergencies and 23 were classified as life-threatening. All registered Gesy beneficiaries are entitled to submit requests for treatment abroad, provided the required services are included in the scheme’s benefits package but cannot be provided in Cyprus within a reasonable timeframe. The HIO said it was systematically monitoring the process and had already strengthened its network of partners providing medical air transport. It added that its priorities for the coming period included reducing the time needed to arrange transfers, improving medical coordination with treating physicians and hospitals abroad, and ensuring the timely handling of life-threatening emergencies.