A new survey has revealed that Cypriots remain largely dissatisfied with the island’s General Health System (GeSY), despite reform efforts aimed at improving access and efficiency. Conducted between January and March 2024 and published in the Archives of Public Health, the study analyzed the views of 445 respondents across all districts of Cyprus.

According to the findings, public satisfaction, trust, and perceptions of reliability all fell below the neutral midpoint on a 5-point scale. In particular, trust and confidence in the GeSY were worryingly low, raising questions about whether the system can meet public expectations in its current form.

However, those expectations remain high: respondents rated their hopes for the GeSY above 4 on the same scale, indicating a strong belief that the system should provide more and better services in the future. This stark gap between what citizens expect and what they currently experience points to a pressing challenge for health authorities.

While dissatisfaction was broadly consistent across gender, age, income, education, and district, the survey did note some significant differences. Younger participants aged 16–18 generally expressed greater satisfaction and trust in the system, compared to older age groups, who tended to be more critical. Similarly, people with higher levels of education and higher incomes were more likely to report frustration, potentially because their expectations of quality care were not being met.

Geographically, residents in rural districts such as Paphos and Famagusta were more likely to perceive the GeSY as unreliable than those living in urban areas like Nicosia, Limassol, and Larnaca.

Researchers highlighted that satisfaction with the GeSY is closely tied to trust, perceived reliability, and comparisons with pre-GeSY healthcare. Improving these areas, they argued, should be the focus of future policy reforms if the government wants to boost public confidence.

The GeSY, introduced in 2019 to modernize a fragmented and inefficient system, was seen as a landmark reform aiming for universal coverage. Yet the study suggests that many citizens still feel underserved and remain skeptical about its benefits.

The authors of the study urge policymakers to prioritize trust-building and reliability enhancements while managing public expectations. They also called for special attention to differences in how men and women perceive the system’s reliability, to avoid systematic biases in care delivery.