Cyprus cabinet approves national blood strategy and appoints new board for muscular dystrophy foundation

On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the Cyprus Council of Ministers approved a new national blood strategy aimed at modernizing and digitizing the country's blood services. Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides stated that the strategy, based on international standards, focuses on five core pillars: managing blood stocks, organizing services, ensuring haemovigilance, maintaining quality and supervision, and fostering innovation. An implementation monitoring committee, comprising representatives from the health ministry, blood banks, the state health organization, private hospitals, and patient associations, will oversee the progress and resolve potential challenges.

Simultaneously, the cabinet approved the appointment of new members to the Board of Directors for the Muscular Dystrophy Research Foundation, which manages the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics. The newly appointed members are Michalis Komodromos, Rea Giordamli, Stelios Giannopoulos, Stavroula Kitiri, Leontios Kostrikis, Michalis Papadopoulos, Panagiotis Vorkas, and Tryfonas Tryfonos. Their appointments are effective until November 4, 2029. During the same session, Minister Charalambides also addressed concerns regarding nursing shortages, noting that the government is encouraging increased nursing student enrollment and exploring the controlled employment of nurses from third countries.