In Cyprus’ Health Profile for 2021, it is noted that Cyprus spends less on health than most EU countries. In 2019, 1881 euros per capita went towards health, which is about half the average of €3521 for the EU as a whole. Despite gradual increases over the past decade, this amount translates to 7 % of GDP, a significantly lower share compared to the total EU average of 9.9 %. In addition, only 8 % of the government budget was spent on health, compared with a 14 % EU average.
Furthermore, spending on prevention in Cyprus is far below the EU average. Cyprus spends 24 % less per capita on outpatient care, 39 % less on inpatient care and 87 % less on long-term care than the EU averages. This is largely due to the smaller overall health budget available; thus, as a proportion of current health spending, spending on more expensive aspects of care – such as inpatient care and pharmaceuticals – is relatively high.
It is worth noting that the Report also referred to the implementation of the General Healthcare System pointing out that Cyprus managed to implement reforms bringing universal health coverage, despite the pandemic.
Source: In-Cyprus
