Penalties for the illegal practice of medicine are set to be made stricter, according to a competent source, following a meeting between President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides and the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Medical Association (CyMA) at the Presidential Palace on Monday. The meeting focused on strengthening and institutionalising dialogue between the government and the association, as well as on the oversight of health services.
Minister of Health Neophytos Charalambides also attended the meeting.
Dialogue with the Medical Association
Welcoming the CyMA president and board members, President Christodoulides stressed the need to strengthen and institutionalise dialogue with the association.
"Health, like Education, is for us the most important sector in which we invest as a state," he said, adding that this is reflected in the state budget.
Planned changes to penalties
According to the competent source, one of the legislative amendments being promoted concerns the illegal practice of medicine, meaning the performance of medical procedures by people who are not doctors.
One of the proposals put forward, which received a positive response, concerns stricter penalties for this offence. According to the same information, the change requires an amendment to the Doctors Law, with the proposal modelled on the tightening of similar penalties in Greece.
Doctors without a Cyprus licence
A similar issue arises in cases involving people who are doctors but do not hold a licence to practise in Cyprus. A doctor may be licensed in one or more other countries, but the required licence is needed in every country in which they practise.
Such cases are under investigation, and according to the same source, it is considered time for a corresponding tightening of penalties in Cyprus.
Medical Association's assessment
Speaking as he left the Presidential Palace, CyMA President Petros Agathangelou described the meeting as "useful and highly constructive", noting that both current issues and broader matters concerning how health policies are implemented and safeguarded were discussed.
He said the aim is to use the association and the scientific expertise of its members to shape evidence-based health strategies and policies for the safety, effectiveness and quality of services provided.
Alternative therapies and unlicensed centres
Asked specifically about current issues, Mr Agathangelou said these could not go undiscussed, as they concern public health and the mechanisms for overseeing health services.
He said the next steps are being determined in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, in relation to matters that have come to public light and the oversight of services provided, particularly so-called "alternative therapies" and unlicensed centres where such services are offered.
These services, he said, "can potentially lead to adverse outcomes and even put patients' lives at risk".
Asked about the President's position on the matter, Mr Agathangelou described it as "highly supportive". He said President Christodoulides expressed the government's willingness to proceed with the necessary legislative measures where required, or other measures needed "to stamp out this phenomenon".
Mapping and coordinated action
Mr Agathangelou said the Ministry of Health has completed the mapping of services, and that meetings are being held with the competent state bodies to ensure a coordinated effort on the basis of existing legislation, with additional regulations where necessary.
The aim, he added, is to ensure that services are offered in scientifically licensed centres, on evidence-based indications and by appropriately trained staff.
Plasmapheresis and supervision
Referring to plasmapheresis, he said legislation exists for the licensing of centres where medical procedures are performed, from hospitals and clinics to polyclinics and day-care centres.
Mr Agathangelou noted that it should not have taken a tragic incident involving a well-known artist to highlight the need to intensify the supervisory mechanism, stressing that the relevant inspections must be carried out systematically under existing legislation.
He added that where more specific regulations are required, penalties, measures and oversight mechanisms should be tightened.
Misuse of logo and ethics proceedings
Regarding a complaint about a centre using the CyMA logo, Mr Agathangelou said the association acted immediately and that, after a letter was sent and the complaint filed, the logo was removed.
Asked about the possible involvement of CyMA members, he said such cases will be examined by the association's Ethics Committee.
"We will make no allowances for any member against whom a complaint is made or a case is established that constitutes unethical conduct or even a disciplinary offence," he said.
