Health Minister Michael Damianos met with his Greek Deputy counterpart Marios Themistocleous at the Health Ministry to discuss the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in the health sector on Friday.

“We are here to further discuss the strengthening of these relations and what we have done and what we will do in the coming months, always in the context of supporting patients in Cyprus and Greece,” Damianos said.

He emphasised that collaboration with Greece was particularly strong in the health sector, highlighting it as a key area of mutual support and coordinated efforts between both countries.

As you know, relations with Greece are very close in all sectors, but mainly in the health sector with various agreements, various actions, which are ongoing and will continue.

“Cyprus and Greece have always had a very good cooperation in all sectors and especially in the health sector, but in the last year we have advanced this cooperation with interstate agreements,” Themistocleous said.

The ministers had signed an updated bilateral health agreement in February, aiming to ease the mutual recognition of medical specialisations and strengthen cooperation between the two countries in securing pharmaceutical supplies during shortages including the possibility of joint procurement and closer alignment on pharmaceutical regulations.

The close bilateral ties in the health sector can also be witnessed in regards to health professionals on the island.

In the recent years Cyprus has become an attractive destination for Greek doctors, a trend that has been welcomed by Cypriot health authorities, though not without concern among some local professionals who fear to be edged out.

There are currently 3,400 doctors registered with the national health system Gesy, 25.3 per cent, 860 individuals, of which are Greek, with the proportion rising steadily.

Current figures shown a sharp 19 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of Greek doctors for each of the past two years.