Cyprus changes drug approval system for diabetics after patient complaints

The Health Insurance Organisation of Cyprus has announced changes to the pre-approval procedure for injectable diabetes medications. The decision follows numerous complaints from doctors and patients regarding serious delays in processing applications, which in some cases reached five weeks.

The issue was particularly acute when a change in dosage was required. Previously, doctors had to submit a new approval request for every dosage adjustment, which sometimes forced patients to interrupt their treatment while waiting for a response.

Under the new rules, doctors will now be able to submit approval requests for all available dosages of a drug simultaneously. This will avoid the need to repeat the procedure when the treatment regimen changes and will speed up patients' access to necessary medications.

However, the system will only allow a prescription for one dosage at a time. If a patient needs to change the dose, the previous prescription must be cancelled to avoid errors in the public healthcare system.

The problem came to light in late April following appeals to the Federation of Patients' Associations of Cyprus. Doctors reported waiting more than a month for application approvals, leaving some patients without essential treatment.

The Health Insurance Organisation had previously acknowledged the difficulties and promised to review the process. New instructions have already been sent to doctors and are expected to help reduce bureaucratic delays and ensure more stable treatment for diabetic patients.