File photo. [Shutterstock]
A program of free afternoon surgeries funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) has concluded, with Health Ministry officials announcing a 98% reduction in the waiting list for surgeries exceeding four months.
Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis and Deputy Health Minister Marios Themistocleous said on Monday that 26,845 free afternoon operations were carried out during the program’s implementation. These were drawn from 66,570 patients who were contacted while on the waiting list, the majority not responding.
Georgiadis said that when he assumed the health portfolio in January 2024, the backlog of patients waiting more than four months for surgery exceeded 90,000 people, with some waiting up to five years. He credited Themistocleous, his deputy, with designing the scheme, which was submitted to the European Union for funding support under agreed performance targets.
According to the minister, the agreement required a 90% reduction in the backlog. “The goal was achieved, it was checked by the European authorities, and that is why the program is funded. According to the checks, the list has been reduced by 98%. Essentially, we have eliminated the waiting time of over four months,” he said.
