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We were painfully slow in getting there but in spite of arriving a few decades late, Cyprus finally has a national health system that puts the focus on patient care rather than those who profit from delivering it.
Cyprus public health system was a shambles with state hospitals neglected via underinvestment while the private sector flourished and offered better care which was good news for greedy insurance companies.
State hospitals became a dumping ground for the poor and the elderly while anyone with any sense, money or a decent job would not choose to be treated in such places that smelt of defeat and bureaucracy gone wrong.
Our centres of care became overcrowded places with nursing staff under pressure, lengthy waiting lists, broken down equipment and shortages where patients were treated as obstacles to navigate rather than cure.
Essentially, there was a two-tier health system, a kind of uneven lottery where your postcode and status determined whether or not you received the treatment and attention you deserved.
Most people if they had the cash would choose to go private, especially after having experienced the Russian roulette of state hospitals — health shouldn’t be a matter of chance or circumstance.
Cypriots deserve a health system they can be proud of, this is a wealthy nation that should be spending time, energy and resources in delivering the best care possible – for young and old.
We should all expect a high standard of care, be it for those with dementia, cancer or people suffering mental health issues. Can we say that today, we are doing our best for these and other patients?
Nobody expects a perfect system, but they do expect a certain level of care and an approach that strives to improve the patient experience while seeking to deliver results.
This is why we should embrace the newly introduced landmark national health service, because it puts the patient first, while not discriminating in the quality of care provided by trying to combine the best in public and private healthcare.
The naysayers said the system would collapse in disrepair while hospitals went into meltdown and nobody would want to be associated with a scheme so badly designed or shoddily put together.
Doctors making a packet from a dysfunctional health service wanted to keep things the way they were, insurance companies will win whatever side of the line they are on while private hospitals also decided to selfishly opt out.
Trying to get a national health service off the ground with stakeholders pulling in different directions while accusing each other of betrayal and bullying is a highly detectable Cypriot trait.
So much attention was given to those arguing about the merits of such a radical reform that the government almost dropped the ball in selling this necessary life-saving venture to the public.
Although Cypriots have slowly got to grips with a system based on the family doctor – I haven’t met mine yet – they realise the philosophy of universal health care is one to be supported.
The GP system appears to be easing pressure on the hospitals, but we don’t want to see these surgeries overrun with doctors unable to cope or able to give the appropriate attention to their patients.
Unusually, the government has stood firm against the critics and those who seek to sabotage the scheme. It has displayed a fighting spirit to get the NHS over the line and into our lives.
The state has shown a conviction to deliver the NHS despite the heavy barrage from behind enemy lines. Despite the rooftop snipers, it admits there will be difficulties as this has never been done before.
There are fears the software is rather clunky and far from being user-friendly, giving doctors and pharmacies a hard time in getting access.
These are early days but as traffic becomes heavier with more users needing quick access to the service the computer system will need to be more robust than it is at the moment.
Extra doctors are also needed to ensure there is adequate cover for all areas giving everyone access to a doctor wherever they reside.
Moreover, the government must be committed – which it says it is – to rectifying difficulties and oversights while providing the required investment down the line to ensure our health system is fit for purpose.
Granted, there appears to be a willingness and a resolve by officials to make this work and turn it into something that Cyprus can be proud of. For that to happen it must be upfront about weaknesses in the system.
This new-look health service has to be better than what went before and we all have a vested interest in establishing a scheme that stands the test of time, our future well being depends on it.
