Starting October 2, the Cypriot Embassy in Paris will be staffed with on-site personnel to support Cypriot patients and their families who travel to France to receive specializedtreatments, announced Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides, at the “Festival of Love and Humanity” organized by the Christina A. Apostolou Foundation, which took place on Saturday at the Larnaca Municipal Garden.
The decision had been made by the Council of Ministers, and the Minister announced that the procedural matters have been finalized and that, as of October 2, the person selected “will be at the service of our compatriots who will be traveling to France for relevant medical treatments.” This, he said, is an important measure with significant social implications that addresses the real difficulties faced by patients and their families.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“At the Ministry of Health, we are well aware that the needs of a family dealing with a serious illness are not limited to the medical aspect of treatment. When a child or young person needs to travel abroad for treatment, along with the anxiety about their health come many practical and financial challenges,” she said, citing accommodation, travel, and the daily presence of parents or caregivers near the patient—all of which, he noted, are real needs that a family cannot always meet on its own.
In this vein, he continued, there is also a program to cover the non-medical expenses of families and caregivers who travel abroad for treatment, which was announced in 2024 by the President of the Republic at an event hosted by the Foundation.
In praising the contribution of the Christina A. Apostolou Foundation, the Minister said that from 2006 to the present, the Foundation has provided assistance to hundreds of children and young people with chronic conditions, both in Cyprus and abroad. It has stood by their families and by people facing financial difficulties, while also developing initiatives focused on blood donation, inclusion, and combating school bullying.
Source: CNA
