Guide to healthcare in Cyprus: GeSY explained
Cyprus has a well-deserved reputation for all those things that make up a good life – a healthy climate, the sea and sunshine, and fresh, locally produced food. How about healthcare, though? The news is good: Cyprus is excellent as a healthcare provision centre.
This guide contains all you need to know about public and private health in Cyprus, GHS or GeSY system, with key information relating to the health services on the island.
Key takeaways
- Cyprus ranks high for healthcare and quality of life.
- A public healthcare system called the General Health System (GHS or GeSy, Greek: Γενικό Σύστημα Υγείας (ΓεΣΥ)) is available to Cypriot, EU/ EEA, and third-country nationals (TCNs) with a valid residence permit.
- Private healthcare is also available and is usually of high standard.
- There is also a solid health infrastructure with laboratories, diagnostic centres and pharmacies.
Ranking and statistics
The European Commission 2023 Country Health Profile for Cyprus shows that the Republic is doing well in terms of health:
- At 81,7 years, life expectancy is relatively high.
- There are low rates of both preventable and treatable mortality, while alcohol consumption is below the EU average.
- Since the introduction of the GHS, the Commission says, unmet medical care needs have been extremely low, at less than 1% for both low- and high-income households.
In the well-known Legatum Prosperity Index, Cyprus ranks 34 globally for 2023. The Legatum Prosperity Index takes into account a range of life quality factors, from health to safety, personal freedom, living conditions, investment and others. For health care, Cyprus scored a very good score of 79,23 points against the top score, which is 86,89 for Singapore.
What do we mean by quality healthcare?
The quality of healthcare is assessed by reference to several factors and in terms of balance.
The US Department of Health and Human Services explains that balance means finding an equilibrium in the provision of health services by avoiding overuse (such as unnecessary tests), underuse (not being given the appropriate level of care), and misuse (being given, for instance, the wrong type of treatment or the wrong medicines).
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the US identifies six factors that show quality in a healthcare system:
- Safety: avoiding harm to patients.
- Effectiveness: providing services according to need.
- Patient-centred: respect for and responding to individual values and needs.
- Timeliness: avoiding wait and delay.
- Efficiency: avoiding waste, such as waste of equipment and supplies.
- Equity: the system must provide quality healthcare for everyone, whether rich or poor, young or old and so on, without discrimination.
GeSY – Public healthcare system in Cyprus
Public health care in Cyprus is provided through the General Healthcare System (GHS), often referred to as GeSY (Greek: Γενικό Σύστημα Υγείας – ΓεΣΥ), a system based on the principle of providing universal coverage with equity and equality.
Both the state and patient contributions cover the costs of the GeSY.
Using the GeSY portal gesy.org.cy, you can upload basic information and register with a local doctor. The doctor will see you for general medical issues and give you a referral to a specialist whenever this is necessary.
Who can be a GeSY beneficiary?
- Cyprus citizens.
- Foreign nationals (including EU/ EEA, UK and TCNs) with an alien registration certificate (ARC) and a valid residence permit.
- Family members of GHS beneficiaries, including TCNs, are spouses or dependent children of a GHS beneficiary.
Do I pay tax for the General Healthcare System?
Contributions to the GHS are levied through wages, income, and pensions. According to the official GeSY website, employees, employers, the self-employed and income earners pay GHS contributions. The contribution rates are available on the GeSY website.
Non-tax residents of Cyprus will pay contributions only for their income, earnings and pensions that derive from the Republic of Cyprus, excluding income from dividends and interest. Other types of income are taxed at 2,65% per year.
Is the General Health System totally free of charge?
The General Healthcare System (GESY) in Cyprus is not entirely free of charge. While it offers comprehensive healthcare services at significantly reduced costs, patients must pay small fees for certain services.
Your doctor will give you a number of free visits per year. For example, if you are over 65, you are entitled to 10 free visits.
Once that number is exceeded, the patient pays € 15 per visit.
For other treatments, you pay a minor sum, for example:
- € 1,00 for a prescribed medicine or medical product (euro one per medicine or product).
- € 6,00 to see a specialist with referral.
- € 25,00 to see a specialist without a referral.
- € 10,00 for Accidents & Emergency.
- € 1,00 for lab test, per lab test or group of lab tests.
Institutions under the GHS
The institutions under the GeSY are:
- The public hospitals and public general hospitals;
- Several private doctors’ surgeries, hospitals, centres, clinics, polyclinics and other establishments;
- Several laboratories and examination or diagnostics centres;
- Several pharmacies.
The patient can select their personal doctor and the specialist or medical establishment to which they wish to be referred. Moreover, they can freely choose the pharmacy from which they will get their prescribed medicines and other products.
GeSY portals
The General Healthcare System in Cyprus has several portals designed to facilitate different user groups:
- Beneficiary GeSY Portal allows individuals registered under GHS to manage their healthcare services, book appointments, and access medical records. The URL is https://portal.gesy.org.cy/.
- GeSY Provider Portal allows healthcare providers to manage their interactions with the system, including patient records and service billing. The URL is https://providers.gesy.org.cy/.
- The GeSY Vaccination Portal was created to manage vaccinations in the healthcare system. The URL is https://vaccination.gesy.org.cy/.
Private healthcare
Private healthcare is excellent in Cyprus and is provided on a paid basis.
Each district has private hospitals, medical centres, polyclinics, clinics, and doctors' surgeries.
Private hospitals, centres, and polyclinics house a variety of specialisations, as well as general medicine and surgery. Some of them have their own ambulance service, Accident and Emergency Departments, and laboratories.
Moreover, you can find establishments concentrating on one or two specialisations, such as paediatrics, eye, gynaecology and fertility, or fertility and IVF.
Health Insurance
Cyprus provides a wide choice of health insurance coverage and accepts International Health Insurance schemes. Travellers’ (or tourist) health insurance is also acceptable.
Pharmacies
Pharmacies in Cyprus are widely available and highly professional. By law, they must be registered with the Pharmacy Board (Ministry of Health) and operated by registered pharmacists.
They are open during normal business hours, but there are several night pharmacies for late evenings, holidays, and weekends. These night pharmacies run per district and by rotation. The list of night pharmacies is updated daily.
Several pharmacies are registered with and provide products for the GHS.
Dial numbers for emergencies
The numbers to dial for ambulance, police and fire emergencies are 199 and 112. The pan-European number for all types of emergencies is 112.
The Mediterranean lifestyle and diet
Cyprus is one of the hotspots for the Mediterranean lifestyle and diet, which health and nutrition professionals worldwide believe contribute to longevity and overall well-being.
The Mediterranean lifestyle consists of sociability (meeting with family and friends), finding time to relax (such as during the brief but sustaining afternoon siesta), and spending time near nature or on the beach.
The Mediterranean diet involves daily portions of fresh fruit and vegetables, grains and nuts, fish, olive oil (especially in the world-famous Mediterranean salad), herbs, yoghurt, and less reliance on red meat. In fact, the popular souvlaki (a type of barbecue), though in the red meat category, is much healthier than other meat-based dishes because it is plainly roasted on a coal fire.
The bottom line
The lifestyle of Cyprus contributes to longevity and wellness. At the same time, healthcare is of high standard, in both the public and private sectors. TCNs can register with the GHS or choose to go private.
Importantly, numerous private medical establishments participate in the public health system and provide an excellent option for all patients. Health insurance is also widely available from local companies.
- Key takeaways
- Ranking and statistics
- What do we mean by quality healthcare?
- GeSY – Public healthcare system in Cyprus
- GeSY portals
- Private healthcare
- Health Insurance
- Pharmacies
- Dial numbers for emergencies
- The Mediterranean lifestyle and diet
- The bottom line
