Let’s continue the topic of life in Cyprus by talking about healthcare, which, surprisingly, does exist here too.
My experience with doctors is probably not very comprehensive, mainly because I have family health insurance, so I don’t know much about how to get treatment in Cyprus if you don’t have insurance.
In my case, all doctors are paid (although there probably aren’t any “free” ones—sometimes someone else just covers the cost, like insurance or the government). My insurance works like this: you pay for the doctor yourself, then submit a claim to the insurance company, they review it, and reimburse you (or they don’t, but that’s rare). Our specific type of insurance has an annual deductible, which is roughly equal to one visit to the doctor. Dental treatment is minimally covered (although my insurance covered 95% of my root canal treatment for one tooth). Vaccines for children aren’t covered at all, and they’re not cheap. However, if you’re treated in a hospital, the doctor and the insurance agent agree on the treatment in advance, and you don’t pay anything. But still—insurance policies vary, so it depends.
In general, healthcare is expensive, even compared to private healthcare in Belarus. But let’s go step by step.
If you’re feeling unwell, you either call your doctor or go to the hospital. At the hospital, you usually wait in line and wait for the doctor to see you, which can take a while. For example, when my blood pressure suddenly spiked, I sat in the waiting room for about 40 minutes, even though I was feeling quite bad. There is an ambulance service, but no one in my family has ever used it.
On average, a doctor’s visit costs between 40 and 60 euros, depending on the doctor. This is the standard price for any doctor, regardless of the diagnosis. Even if you just come to talk (for whatever reason), it’s still considered a consultation and thus costs money. However, there are exceptions, like, “Oh, you came on a friend’s recommendation, so today’s consultation is on the house,” or “Today’s free for you since you’ll be coming back a few more times anyway. Don’t worry about it.” It’s an island—everyone knows each other, so it’s a bit of a small village mentality.
If the doctor prescribes medication, the insurance company will reimburse you for the cost (based on the pharmacy receipt).
The doctor is basically your “home” doctor. You don’t just go to any specialist at the hospital. Well, you can, but in most cases, you’re followed by the same doctor. For example, one specific pediatrician sees all of my kids, and while pediatrics is his general specialty, he’s also a super-specialist in one area. The pediatrician who sees my older children is considered one of the best pulmonologists on the island, according to locals. The general practitioner I’ve seen a few times is a cardiologist by training. So, they’re all specialists, with general practice being an additional area.
On the flip side, there aren’t that many narrow specialists on the island, and everyone knows who they are. When our youngest had an unexplained rash, we were sent to a pediatric allergist—the only one on the entire island, and he’s in another city. So, we make the trip to see him periodically.
Children need vaccinations, and the list is quite similar to what’s done in Belarus, but with some differences. They don’t do BCG, but they do vaccinate for chickenpox, meningococcus, and rotavirus. Can you opt out of these vaccinations? Theoretically, probably yes, but we haven’t tried. The issue is that vaccines aren’t covered by insurance (as I mentioned earlier), and they’re quite expensive—anywhere from 70 to 150 euros each. Yes, really. Most of the vaccines are given in the first year and a half of life, with fewer required later on.
Many people in Cyprus complain that doctors prescribe antibiotics at the drop of a hat. From what I’ve observed, this is mostly true. Doctors here tend to prescribe antibiotics where, in our country, they might first try to treat without them. But it also depends on the doctor. For example, my children’s pediatrician always offers two options: try without antibiotics first, and if there’s no improvement, he writes a prescription that you can fill a few days later without needing a second visit. When a doctor once wanted to prescribe antibiotics for me, I asked if we could avoid them, and the GP immediately agreed on an alternative. So, they offer antibiotics, but they don’t push them. It’s more like a default treatment approach.
One more thing to emphasize: nearly every specialist (not just pediatricians or general practitioners) is a specific person. You always go to a particular doctor, not just to a random clinic where you’ll see whoever is available. When we first arrived, we were given a list of doctors—not necessarily the best ones, but that’s island life—people recommend their friends and acquaintances. Over time, you get better at figuring out who’s good, and after that, you only go to your chosen doctor.
Now let me tell you about childbirth, from my perspective as a husband.
The expectant mother is monitored by a gynecologist. In our case, it was the same doctor my wife had been seeing. Initially, you visit once a month, then every two weeks, and in the final stages, once a week. But if anything seems wrong, you can call the doctor at any time, day or night. Once we even went in for an ultrasound at 2 a.m., waking the doctor from his bed. This is considered normal here—that’s what you’re paying the doctor for, to help when needed.
In Belarus, they often run various tests but only do a few ultrasounds during the entire pregnancy. In Cyprus, it’s the opposite—tests are rare, but my wife had an ultrasound at every doctor’s visit.
Since our insurance allowed it, we delivered in a small private maternity hospital. There are only about 15 rooms, and from the outside, you wouldn’t even know it’s a medical facility unless you were aware. The mother has a private room, almost like a hotel room. Husbands are allowed everywhere, even in the delivery room. I was there from the start of contractions until the end of labor. After the birth, the baby is kept in a separate room where nurses change and feed all the newborns who need feeding. The room has a large glass wall, so family members can watch the newborns (and family here often shows up in large groups for births). There’s even a channel on the TV in the mother’s room where you can watch your baby in that room. The food is quite good—I even finished a few meals my wife couldn’t.
You choose the clinic, and the gynecologist who monitored the pregnancy usually delivers the baby. The pediatrician you’ve chosen comes to the delivery to examine the baby right away.
You typically spend 2-3 days in the maternity hospital—no long stays if everything is fine. The average cost for such a delivery is around 3,000 euros (including all the prenatal visits over the nine months). That’s what our insurance covered. If there are complications, though, the extra costs fall on you.
What else about healthcare? The doctors are pleasant, and most have been trained in the UK (colonial past?). At first, communicating was tough because I didn’t know all the medical terms in Russian, let alone in English. But there are plenty of Russian-speaking doctors if needed. We stuck with English-speaking ones, though.
That’s probably everything. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
