According to sources, the Troika has called a special consultant on the subject of health care insurance, at the request of the government.

The same sources point out that the first estimates made by the consultant said that a multi–payer health system can not be applied at this stage, as it requires the creation of a compensatory fund and that takes years, complex systems and databases.

After this development, it is expected that the matter will proceed based on the existing planning and road map, which was submitted to Troika.

According to the Memorandum with the Troika a National Health System should be fully in place by mid 2016. The NHS will ensure its financial sustainability while providing universal coverage. By mid 2015, a first stage of NHS, will be put into place.

The policies of the Ministry of Health on pricing and reimbursement of medical goods and services, including those related to pharmaceutical expenditure, will be revised in agreement with programme partners to contain projected spending levels under NHS.

Source: Famagusta Gazette