The Universal Patient Rights Association has called on the authorities and the Turkish Cypriot parliament, the Republican Assembly, to give patient rights legal protection, in a statement issued to mark World Patient Rights Day on 26 October. The association also demanded effective application and complaint mechanisms and the publication of healthcare data while safeguarding patient privacy.
Stressing that everyone has the right to equal, safe and high-quality healthcare, the association said: "Patient rights are not a favour but a requirement of human dignity and the right to health. These rights must be guaranteed in every health institution, in every application and in every treatment decision."
The statement recalled that a year ago the absence of a Patient Rights Law, problems with medicine supply, staff and infrastructure shortages, and gaps in complaint mechanisms had been raised. While acknowledging that significant work had been done over the past year, the association argued that legislation and independent oversight are needed to secure patient rights permanently.
The association described the 24-article Nicosia Declaration on Patient Rights, prepared under the leadership of the Cyprus Turkish Medical Association (KTTB), as one of the key shared achievements of the period, noting that it addresses patient rights together with the rights of healthcare workers. "A health system that respects the dignity, safety and participation of patients in decision-making must also protect the rights and safe working conditions of health professionals," the statement said. It also referred to applications made to the Patient Rights Monitoring Committee, set up under the Together for Health Project run in cooperation with the KTTB.
The association said personal data must be protected and secure information sharing between institutions ensured as healthcare is digitalised, and underlined the importance of informing patients about their treatment and enabling them to decide freely. Referring to publicly reported allegations concerning IVF centres and to the Kyrenia Military Hospital protocol, it called for the claims to be examined transparently and independently.
The association further demanded guaranteed equal access to medicines, diagnosis and treatment, protection of patient privacy and the right to access health records, and the effective participation of patient representatives and health professional bodies in shaping health policy.
