User talk:Ericcabaniss/sandbox

Health care in Cyprus

The WHO estimates that in 2014, health spending made up 7% of the GDP of Cyprus (1). Between 2010 and 2014, health care spending increased from $1,705 per capita to $2,062 per capita (2) (3). The current health care system consists of a public and private sector (2). The public sector is funded by payroll, earnings taxes, and employer contributions (2). This sector provides social insurance for the employed, self-employed, and for several types of civil servants (2). This system is in the process of being replaced with a National Health System that seeks universal coverage (4). The National Health System is estimated to save € 292 million from 2016-2025 (4). Currently, the public health sector managed by the Ministry of Health provides free services to nearly 80% of the population (4). Public coverage includes dental services, mental health services, pharmaceutical services, and general public health resources (5). As of 2013, the life expectancy for females was 85 and 80 for males (1). The top three causes of death are circulatory diseases, neoplasms, and respiratory diseases (6). The two most common cancers are prostate cancer and breast cancer (7). Cyprus’ Measles immunization rate of 86% for one year olds is below the WHO European region average of 95% (8).

In 2013 Cyprus decided to establish a national health care system, with support from creditors of the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank, and European Commission (9). The National Health System is predicted to increase coordination, reduce waste, and be more fiscally responsible (4). Some inefficiencies in the system are overlapping services between the public and private health service providers and “poor communication and coordination” between the sectors (5). Cyprus ranks the highest among EU nations on out-of-pocket health spending (5). Public healthcare operates with the sole control and funding of the state’s Ministry of Health (5). Cyprus outperforms the EU average of dentists per capita (91 for every 100,000 people) and underperforms in pharmacists per capita (21 for every 100,000 people) (5).

(1) "Data and Statistics." WHO/Europe. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. . (2) Boslaugh, Sarah. "Cyprus." Health Care Systems around the World: A Comparative Guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2013. 122-24. Print. (3) "Cyprus." World Health Organization. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. . (4) ACTUARIAL STUDY OF CYPRUS NATIONAL HEALTH EXPENDITURE AND NATIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM. Rep. Mercer, n.d. Web. . (5) "Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) - Cyprus." WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2014. Web. . (6) Health Systems in Transition. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. . (7) Cyprus. Ministry of Health. Health Monitoring Unit. Cancer Cases 1998-2012 Summary Results. Ministry of Health of the Republic of Cyprus, n.d. Web. . (8)"Cyprus: WHO Statistical Profile." Cyprus. World Health Organization, Jan. 2015. Web. . (9) Kanavos, Panos G., and Olivier J. Wouters. Enabling Health-care Reform in the Republic of Cyprus. Issue brief. London School of Economics and Political Science, 2016. Web. .