Citizens in Cyprus have a generally positive picture for personal doctors (GPs) in the Health Scheme (GeSY), a survey carried out by Federation of Patient Associations of Cyprus (CyFPA) shows.
The survey was presented Wednesday, during a press conference organized by CyFPA.
The survey on the experience of GeSY beneficiaries with GPs was conducted in November 2025. A total of 1,337 beneficiaries island wide participated and the aim was to evaluate the quality of services provided within the framework of GeSY.
The findings demonstrate high levels of satisfaction and trust towards GPs. But communication and access are two areas that need improvement, according to the survey.
In particular, 93% of beneficiaries said that they have been registered with the same GP for more than a year, while 75% have remained with the same doctor for more than two years. At the same time, 35% reported that they have changed their GP at least once since joining the Health Scheme.
The most frequent reasons for changing their GP were the difficulty in communicating with the doctor (25%), dissatisfaction with their behaviour (20%) and failure to provide assistance in an emergency (12%).
The survey also records high rates of use of the digital GeSY portal. Some 79% of participants said that they have access to their personal medical profile. In addition, 78% consider communication with their GP to be ‘very easy’ or ‘fairly easy’.
Regarding waiting times, 53% of beneficiaries are accommodated either on the same day or the next day, while 87% assess the waiting time to secure an appointment as appropriate.
At the same time, 96% of citizens who took part in the survey said that they were satisfied with how their needs were met, during their last appointment with their GP, while 66% said that they would not like to change anything in the way they were assisted.
As regards prevention, 62% of beneficiaries said that they received advice on preventive examinations and 58% on vaccinations. However, 32% said that they did not receive any preventive advice from their GPs.
Based on the findings of the survey, CyFPA has come up with recommendations to further strengthen the role of the GPs and their relation with their patients. Among the recommendations are communication with beneficiaries, the use of digital tools and preventive medicine.
CyFPA also suggests the establishment of a binding response protocol for GPs, the encouragement of the use of alternative communication channels, such as secretarial support and digital messages, as well as the further upgrading of the GeSY electronic portal as a communication tool between doctors and beneficiaries.
Furthermore the Patients’ Federation suggests the introduction of stronger incentives for GPs for preventive actions, such as vaccinations and screening, as well as the organisation of educational programmes for the development of communication skills.
According to the Federation, the strengthening of primary health care could also contribute to the decongestion of A and E Departments.
CyFPA said during the press conference that the institution of the personal physician is the foundation stone of GeSY, noting, at the same time, that improving communication, accessibility and prevention remain key challenges for the further upgrading of primary health care services.