Cyprus Report Finds Patients Left ‘In the Middle’ During Hospital Transfers

A new report by the Patient Advocate’s Office examined 23 typical patient referral and transfer scenarios in Cyprus and found that 12 of them allow patients’ rights to be violated, six depend on a single step being performed correctly, and only five operate fully in line with the law. The core issue is the lack of clarity about who is responsible for a patient until the transfer is complete. While the law requires every medical institution to admit or arrange transfer, it does not define when the process ends or who remains accountable. The report stresses that a phone call is not a referral and that the three essential elements—written documentation, confirmed acceptance by the receiving facility, and a clearly designated responsible person—must all be present. When any element is missing, patients are left “in the middle.” The Health Insurance Organisation’s referral protocol covers seven emergency categories, but the law applies to all patients. Referrals, acceptances, and refusals are often not recorded, even though rules require it. Disagreements between institutions can leave patients waiting for hours, as no body can decide quickly who must take responsibility. The report notes that about 380 patient transfers occur each month and that complex patients may be transferred to other facilities due to compensation mismatches. The Patient Advocate calls for the treating doctor to be personally designated as responsible and for a mandatory replacement to be named whenever that doctor is unavailable.