Republic of Cyprus

Healthcare System

The Republic of Cyprus uses a universal healthcare system called the National Health Insurance System (NHIS), which was implemented in 2019. This system provides comprehensive health coverage for all Cypriot citizens and legal residents, as well as EU citizens, third-country nationals with legal residence, and documented asylum seekers. It is financed through taxation and contributions from employees, employers, and the state.

The Cyprus Ministry of Health oversees the NHIS at the national level, while the Health Insurance Organization (HIO) is responsible for its administration and management. The HIO collaborates with local healthcare providers and regional managers to ensure efficient and effective delivery of healthcare services across the country.

Through the NHIS, the population of Cyprus enjoys a wide range of healthcare benefits, including primary care, specialist consultations, hospital care, maternity services, mental health services, dental care, and prescription medications. Preventive care services, such as vaccinations and screening programs, are also provided as part of the NHIS.

To access the healthcare benefits provided by the NHIS, individuals must be either citizens of Cyprus or legal residents of the country. Additionally, they must be registered with the HIO and have a valid social insurance number. Upon registration, individuals receive a health insurance card, which is used to access healthcare services at public and private healthcare providers who are contracted with the HIO.

The Republic of Cyprus has adopted electronic health records (EHRs) to streamline the process of managing patient information and healthcare services. Healthcare providers submit claims data and update patient registries through a centralized, secure digital system. This system facilitates efficient sharing of patient information between providers, enabling them to coordinate care and make informed clinical decisions. The EHR system also assists in the management of healthcare resources and allows for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the NHIS to ensure its effectiveness and sustainability.

Administrative or Claims Data

Database: CyStat Health and Hospital Statistics

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Statistical Service of Cyprus; Ministry of Finance.

Primary purpose: To provide an overview of public medical services, health, and morbidity in Cyprus.

Type of information: Data dictionary was not found. Data includes in-patients treated and discharged from general and rural hospitals, surgical procedures for in-patients and out-patients, out-patient visits at general, special, and rural hospitals and health centers, bed occupancy rates, paramedical services, health indicators, healthcare expenditure, causes of death, and health personnel. The data primarily focuses on public health services due to limited detailed information for the private sector. Private sector data includes the number of doctors, dentists, nurses, clinics, beds, discharges, bed days, and related figures. [1]

Available type of information:

Source of Information: Inpatient discharges: Electronic data on patient discharges from SHSO medical institutions are collected from all hospitals. Micro databases are sent to the Statistical Service for processing and analysis by Statistics Officers.

Outpatient attendances: Data on outpatient visits at GHS-enrolled medical institutions and physicians' offices are obtained from the HIO's IT system.

Causes of death: The Cause of Death Register, owned by the Health Monitoring Unit of the Ministry of Health, serves as the source, including all deaths in Cyprus and Cypriot residents' deaths abroad. [2]

Data level: Patient level.

Available data level: National level.

Number of Records: Unknown.

Date Range: Unknown.

Cancer Areas of Interest: Unknown.

Open data access: Data is partially publicly available. Publicly available information can be found here under "Health". Information on how to access complete database can be found here.

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information can be found here.

Registries

Database: Cyprus Cause of Death

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Ministry of Health.

Primary purpose: To provide a comprehensive source of mortality statistics for public health surveillance.

Type of information: Data dictionary was not found. Methodology can be found here. More metadata can be found here.

Source of Information: Unknown.

Data level: Patient level.

Number of Records: Unknown.

Date Range: Unknown.

Cancer Areas of Interest: Unknown.

Open data access: Data is not publicly available. Reports can be found here and here.

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information can be found here.