Disagreements over amendments to rehabilitation centre law
The federation of patients’ associations (Osak), the Cyprus confederation of disability organisations (Kysoa) and the Third Age Observatory on Friday jointly expressed their disagreement over recent changes made to the bill regulating rehabilitation centres.
Within the context of Thursday’s House health committee session, the organisations in their statement criticised the bill saying that “the amendments do not address the gaps and distortion of this crucial bill.”
They supported that the bill, instead of correcting its existing weaknesses, it reinforces the framework’s distortions as they were submitted to the Plenary last summer, causing major disagreements between the parties.
In their statement, the organisations said that maintaining separate categories in rehabilitation centres “leads to inequalities and restrictions to recovery and rehabilitation services.”
Under the new provisions, a centre no longer needs to provide all eight thematic areas previously required to qualify as Category A – it can now offer between one and eight.
The organisations went on to explain that such medical decisions should not be included in the legislation but determined by the health ministry in consultation with scientific bodies like the Pancyprian Medical Association and scientific societies.
They noted concern over a new provision allowing future additions of thematic areas depending on medical advances, questioning why the House, “a non-scientific body, should be involved in defining or approving medical acts.”
They challenged how the health ministry could add or remove services when they are defined by basic law.
They also raised concerns over an exemption allowing existing hospital-based centres to bypass evaluation when relicensed as rehabilitation centres.
Finally, the organisations supported that the transitional provision of the law only forces care homes to comply with infrastructure requirements and not private hospitals, further reinforcing existing inequalities.