Equal and quality access to healthcare services are a fundamental human right for all residents, Health Minister Michael Damianos said in his speech on World Health Day on Monday.

Damianos emphasised the significance of Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) information campaigns in educating the public.

Highlighting the manual “Everything we need to know about the services of the personal doctor”, he stressed its importance in providing information on patient rights and access to health services.

“The General Health System (Gesy) of our country has been designed with the aim of ensuring unhindered access to quality health services,” Damianos said.

He stressed that the personal doctor system, which has been in place since 2019, remained a core pillar for “offering comprehensive health services that cover all the needs of the public”.

The system would particularly benefit patients with chronic diseases as it allowed for building trust between doctors and patients, he added. This, he said, would also allow for the development of “strategies and policies that will better prepare us for future health crises”.

Damianos pointed to the European Health Data Space Regulation (EHDS ) that entered into force on March 25. The EHDS is an EU-framework aiming to simplify the use and exchange of electronic health data across the EU.