New regulations for personal doctors in Cyprus health system

Starting June 1, the Health Insurance Organization (HIO) of Cyprus will implement new regulations regarding the substitution system for personal doctors and pediatricians. These rules introduce limits on the duration of substitutions and the maximum number of patients a doctor can serve when replacing a colleague. The measure aims to stop the exploitation of the substitution system, where some doctors bypassed the statutory limit of 2,500 beneficiaries by registering additional patients under colleagues they continuously substituted. This practice was previously brought to light following public complaints in the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, where citizens reported that their children were registered with unknown doctors under the General Healthcare System (Gesy). The HIO acknowledged the loophole and committed to these reforms to ensure better administrative control and patient transparency. Doctors will no longer be able to use the substitution mechanism to manage patient loads exceeding legal limits. These changes are designed to improve the functionality of the existing healthcare network and ensure compliance with statutory capacity regulations.