Public GPs don’t close at 3pm, health chief says

Local doctorshealthTop News Public GPs don’t close at 3pm, health chief says Kentro Igeias2 640x426 1 Relevant News More than half of new Cyprus cars now hybrid 11 August 2026 Public GPs don’t close at 3pm, health chief says 11 August 2026 Isaak and Solomou killings: 30 years on, no one has been convicted 11 August 2026 Marilena Panayi 11 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber It isn’t widely known, but public GPs in Cyprus don’t shut their doors at 3pm. In every town, at least one health centre stays open until 7:30pm, while health centres outside towns keep a doctor on call at all times. The larger health centres in towns, and some in mountain areas, don’t just have GPs and nurses. Some have specialist doctors permanently based there, while others get visits from specialists such as paediatricians and dermatologists on certain days of the week. Some centres also have other health professionals available, such as physiotherapists. In total, 36 health centres operate across and outside Cyprus’s towns, staffed by 71 GPs. The number of General Health System beneficiaries registered with SHSO’s personal doctors passed 75,500 by the end of July. According to SHSO’s director of primary care, Konstantinos Chatzigiannis, some GPs have as many as 2,500 registered patients, while others have fewer, with beneficiary numbers relatively low in more remote areas. He told philenews that, on average, GPs now have around 1,100 patients on their lists, in line with the average across all GHS personal doctors, adding: “The patterns we saw in the past have started to disappear.” Chatzigiannis said another “myth” about public doctors is that they don’t work in the afternoons. In all urban centres, he said, at least one health centre operates from 7:30am to 7:30pm, while several health centres outside towns keep a doctor on call at all times to see patients. Because SHSO’s health centres operate as a network, he said, doctors cover for each other, so a doctor is always available for patients who need help. Specialists and lab services GPs and nurses at health centres deal with both acute cases and cases needing brief treatment, according to Chatzigiannis. Health centres also carry out cardiograms and manage emergency or urgent cases, including administering intravenous fluids and related treatment, bronchodilator treatment with nebulisers or masks, oxygen, and cardiac monitoring. Centres also carry out vaccinations, including for seasonal flu, shingles, pneumococcus and tetanus, give injections of all kinds, and take blood and other samples for laboratory analysis. They also record and assess vital signs such as blood pressure and temperature, dress wounds and injuries, and check blood sugar. Chatzigiannis said laboratory tests are carried out at SHSO hospital laboratories, which have all the necessary equipment, modern technology and specialised laboratory staff, ensuring reliable, quality results. At some centres, particularly where there is ongoing cooperation with local authorities that track residents’ needs, SHSO expands its services accordingly. For example, he said, some centres get visits from paediatricians, dermatologists and other specialists on certain days of the week, and also have other health professionals; when a need for a physiotherapist was identified, for instance, a physiotherapist was placed at one centre. He said the goal is to cover all the needs of residents in different areas, whether inside or outside urban centres. Some centres also run diabetes monitoring clinics, a smoking cessation programme, community nursing, and, more recently, a community midwifery programme. Some centres also have mammography machines for the national population screening programme, and carry out bone density scans. Dental coverage is also provided continuously. On the diabetes clinics specifically, Chatzigiannis said they currently operate in six centres, with plans to expand them to centres in mountain areas too. He said it is a major advantage that the organisation has its own specialist doctors and health professionals across all specialities, meaning that wherever a proven need exists, it can be met. Building work under way everywhere, Limassol upgraded Renovation or construction work is under way at hospitals and health centres in every district, Chatzigiannis said, and primary care is being strengthened as part of that effort. In Limassol, he said, the health centre at the old hospital, as locals know it, is undergoing a complete renovation while continuing to operate without interruption. He said the centre will look nothing like it does today once the renovation is complete. Limassol also has a health centre in Linopetra. Chatzigiannis said some of its doctors left for private practice, a trend recorded in the early days of GHS’s rollout that is now fading, so the centre currently has no GP on site in the afternoons. He said the trend of long-serving public doctors with large patient lists leaving SHSO and taking their patients with them cost the organisation significantly, but said new doctors are now building up their own patient lists and doing very well. Six centres already accredited As part of the continuous effort to upgrade and improve the services it offers, six health centres have successfully completed the accreditation process and received Platinum status, Chatzigiannis said. These are the health centres in Lakatamia, Latsia, Aglantzia, Egkomi, Strovolos, and the health centre at Larnaca’s old hospital. He said the organisation’s goal is for all health centres to receive similar accreditation. Successful accreditation, he added, is a significant achievement that reflects the ongoing effort to provide upgraded health services, centred on quality, patient safety, continuous improvement of processes, and the application of internationally recognised standards and best practices. 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