Medical tourism in Cyprus is becoming more and more popular within medical tourism destinations. Among the many reasons are a growing number of private hospitals and clinics with state-of-the-art equipment. In addition, there are many experienced and highly-qualified doctors and medical staff – often trained at medical schools in Europe or the United States.
Medical tourism is also known as health tourism. And medical travel can be defined as traveling cross-border to a foreign country for health purposes – generally from a richer country to a less expensive country. And combining this trip for medical treatment with leisure time.
Global medical tourism is a fast-growing sector with around 6 million people traveling for treatment every year. The amount of the medical tourism industry is estimated to grow to 32.5 billion USD by the end of 2019. Around 85% of the global medical travel market are patients looking for affordable cosmetic surgery, dentistry, infertility treatments, and obesity surgery.
With its affordable premium-quality healthcare facilities and a relaxed lifestyle, Cyprus may be the best place for health tourism worldwide. In this week’s Property Experts Cyprus blog article discover how to best combine health and holiday.
Medical Tourism in Cyprus
Combining health care with a relaxing holiday in Cyprus offers top medical treatment at an affordable price. At the same time, you can enjoy the sunny weather, beautiful beaches, and gorgeous nature on this charming island. Restore your mind, body, and soul!
1. What kind of treatments are available?
From quality-care routine annual check-ups, plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery, and reconstructive surgery, physiotherapy, dental and surgical procedures to individual medical procedures – Cyprus offers attractively priced healthcare holidays. Many laboratories offer a large variety of routine and specialized diagnostic tests with speedy test results.
Cyprus is home to many international hospitals, clinics, and medical facilities that provide excellent medical care, en par with international standards. Therefore, it is no wonder that the population of Cyprus is rated as one of the healthiest in the Mediterranean area.
In total, Cyprus offers more than 80 private hospitals and clinics, and 6 public healthcare institutions. This translates to around 2,500 beds, 2,250 physicians, and approximately 720 dental specialists. Lately, several new, specialized clinics for procedures that previously had to be performed abroad, opened. Even complicated operations, such as open-heart surgery, are now available in Cyprus.
In addition, the Cypriot Government is investing 700 million Euros (6% of the Gross National Product of Cyprus) to promote the country as a key healthcare destination.
2. What is the qualification of the doctors and nurses?
Doctors and medical staff in Cyprus are highly trained and speak English. Many medical professionals also speak other languages like Russian, German, French, and Arabic. In addition, Property Experts Cyprus offers translation services in Chinese.
3. Is Medical Tourism in Cyprus regulated?
The Cyprus Ministry of Health strives to continuously improve the health of the Cypriot population. They provide information in English and Greek on their website.
The Cyprus Health Services Promotion Board provides information in English, Greek, Russian, German and Arabic on everything around Cyprus as a medical center.
4. Do insurance companies cover medical costs?
Medical treatments in Cyprus are significantly cheaper than in other EU countries. Whether your insurance will cover the treatment depends on your individual situation. For example, if it is a necessary treatment or a cosmetic procedure. If you have a global health care plan, your insurance is likely to cover necessary health services. Check with your insurance provider before making any arrangements.
In Cyprus, you can choose between public and private healthcare. Both are of comparable quality and complement each other. The health insurance provider Allianz Worldwide Care provides a search engine for medical services in Cyprus. Emergency medicine at government hospitals is free for everyone, including foreigners.
Short-term visitors from EU countries who have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) are entitled to free essential care in public institutions. Basic healthcare services in public clinics are free or offered inexpensively to selected groups of Cypriot citizens and EU nationals with permanent residence status. More information is available on the website of the Ministry of Health.
If you live in Cyprus – short or long term, you may be entitled to state healthcare. In June 2019, an upgraded National Healthcare Systems “NHS” was launched. Healthcare beneficiaries – citizens and tax residents – are able to receive primary care services free of charge. This includes doctor visits, buying medicine, laboratory, and other examinations. This new system has been fully rolled out in 2020.
British expats are eligible for state healthcare even if they do not contribute to the Cypriot social security system, as long as they meet certain criteria. Find out more on the official UK government site.
5. What are the benefits of Cyprus?
Around 10% of EU patients seek some form of health care beyond the borders of their home country. Medical tourists value the island’s great location with easy access from many countries. And the exposure to the Mediterranean climate and sunny weather all-year-round itself is healing.
EU citizens don’t need a visa for up to 90 days. If they plan to stay longer than 90 days, then they must obtain a registration certificate. At the moment, there are 89 countries whose citizens do not require a visa for Cyprus as long as they do not stay longer than 90 days and the purpose of their visit is leisure-based/tourist-related. Find out if you need a visa for Cyprus.
The waiting list is usually not too long. Same-day appointments are often the case. And you can visit a wide variety of specialists in a single medical center or within a short driving distance on the small island of Cyprus. You can easily access countless beautiful beaches and tranquil nature, leisure activities, and gentle sports – and enjoy the healthy Mediterranean diet.
Now, whether you are considering a check-up or a bigger procedure, your treatment in Cyprus will follow the highest of standards, while providing a relaxing holiday experience.
The Takeaway
Combining medical treatment with tourism in Cyprus fills two needs with one deed. Property Experts Cyprus is your trusted platform for everything around living in Cyprus, moving to Cyprus, medical tourism in Cyprus, and services around relocation to Cyprus.
We are happy to help you find the best medical services in Cyprus, book your trip, and organize tours for your pleasure. Sit back, relax, and let us do all the paperwork. Contact Property Experts Cyprus today.
We at Property Experts Cyprus connect you to carefully selected third-party medical providers. We do not offer diagnosis, health advice, and medical treatment ourselves.
