The quality of a healthcare system is measured not only by its infrastructure, technology or scientific capacity, but also by how it treats the people who rely on its care, Cyprus Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said on Monday.
Speaking at an event organised by the Hellenic Patients’ Association in Athens, Charalambides stressed that a patient should never be viewed simply as a number or a case to be administratively managed.
“A patient is a citizen with dignity, with needs, with reasonable expectations and with the right to participate in decisions that concern them,” he said.
Shift toward patient-centred care
Charalambides noted that the more a healthcare system incorporates this principle, the more effective, fair and humane it becomes.
He pointed out that international practice is moving away from models where patients had a limited voice toward a new approach that recognises them as essential partners both in medical care and in shaping health policies.
“This is a profound cultural reform that concerns not only structures but also the values upon which public health is built,” he said.
Role of the Patient Ombudsman
The minister also referred to the establishment of the Patient Ombudsman in Cyprus, describing it as a practical expression of this philosophy.
“It is the result of a mature dialogue with civil society, with patient organisations and with all those who over the years have highlighted the need for an independent, reliable and functional mechanism to protect citizens’ rights in the field of health,” he said.
He emphasised that the creation of the institution is not an isolated intervention but a deliberate political decision intended to strengthen the healthcare system rather than oppose it.
“This initiative is part of a broader strategy to upgrade healthcare in Cyprus, a strategy that seeks higher quality, universal access, greater resilience and services that respond to the modern needs of society,” Charalambides concluded.
Source: CNA