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Moving to Cyprus with Type 1

P

padderpaws

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello

I am moving to Cyprus (pathos) in May 2015 from the UK. I have a 12 year old daughter who has type 1 diabetes. She has had it for 2 years now. Is there any way that she will be able to get insulin free out there? or can she still get if for free in the UK even though she lives in Cyprus. I am finding it hard to believe that as a european union country she is not entitled to free insulin. Also, does anyone know of any insurance companies who would give her private medical cover.

Thanking you in advance. By the way, I have already called the Ministry of Health in Cyprus, only to be told that she is not entitled to free insulin etc.
 
catherinecherub said:
Hi @padderpaws and welcome to the forum.

You could try getting in touch with the association in this article.

Living with Diabetes in Cyprus.

http://www.diabetesmine.com/2014/10/living-with-diabetes-in-cyprus.html

An email address in this article,

http://www.idf.org/membership/eur/cyprus/cyprus-diabetic-association

We do have a poster from Cyprus whose forum name is @pavlosn so have tagged him to see if he know anything. He is a Type 2.
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Thank you for your kind reply and support.
 
Hi @padderpaws

As far as I know, diabetics in Cyprus are only entitled to free insulin or other medication if they can prove that their income falls below a certain (not very generous) threshold. Presumably for minors, that would be the income of their parents. Effectively, this means that most people have to pay for their medication.

There has been talk for some time of an introduction of an NHS type national health scheme under which only a fixed subscription fee would be paid but this is still not yet implemented; latest date given for the introduction is 1/1/2016 I believe.

I hope this does not put you off Cyprus and that you will enjoy living in Paphos.

Best regards

Pavlos
 
pavlosn said:
Hi @padderpaws

As far as I know, diabetics in Cyprus are only entitled to free insulin or other medication if they can prove that their income falls below a certain (not very generous) threshold. Presumably for minors, that would be the income of their parents. Effectively, this means that most people have to pay for their medication. Don't forget that you also have to cover your test sticks for glucose monitoring. That can be a high price to pay, depending on what prices have been designated by the Ministry of Health. The healthcare provider that you sign up to, may have schemes for covering part or full cost of the medicines/diagnostic agents. This depends on what sort of work you do - it is not possible to go to a private insurance company. This may require of you to attend committee meetings, for the diabetes to be assessed in detail. As for the UK, go to your GP before you leave and make sure that they keep your daughter at their surgery. She can get repeat prescriptions automatically simply by asking. Your chemist can supply you with boxes of 5 pens or cartridges at a time, just by asking your GP to prescribe a box of insulin. When I left the UK as a child, it was very hard, as switching insulin to the foreign one was hard and I had to start using plastic syringes. Nowadays, the countries are more similar in provisions for insulin and diagnostic strips. Make sure that you have a good relationship with your British chemist before you leave, as this will be key to the supply of your medication.

There has been talk for some time of an introduction of an NHS type national health scheme under which only a fixed subscription fee would be paid but this is still not yet implemented; latest date given for the introduction is 1/1/2016 I believe.

I hope this does not put you off Cyprus and that you will enjoy living in Paphos.

Best regards

Pavlos
Click to expand...
 
pavlosn said:
Hi @padderpaws

As far as I know, diabetics in Cyprus are only entitled to free insulin or other medication if they can prove that their income falls below a certain (not very generous) threshold. Presumably for minors, that would be the income of their parents. Effectively, this means that most people have to pay for their medication.

There has been talk for some time of an introduction of an NHS type national health scheme under which only a fixed subscription fee would be paid but this is still not yet implemented; latest date given for the introduction is 1/1/2016 I believe.

I hope this does not put you off Cyprus and that you will enjoy living in Paphos.

Best regards

Pavlos
Click to expand...
Thank you for your informed reply. Can you tell me any more about the NHS type system? My private doctor in Peyia mentioned it briefly. That would be awesome if it were to go ahead.
 
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