The state health services provide medical care free of charge or at reduced fee rates to certain categories of residents as set out below:

• Free treatment is provided for individuals with a annual income of up to £9,000 and for families with annual income of up to £18,000, raised by £1,000 for each child, as well as for various other groups such as state officials, government workers, people on state pensions, members of the National Guard, certain categories of persons with a disability or chronic illness, students at a number of tertiary institutions.

• Treatment with coverage of 50% of outpatient fees ( that is, at state sector establishments without admission to hospital) is provided for persons with annual income of between £9,001 and £12,000 and for families with annual income of between £18,001 and £22,000, raised by £1,000 for each child. The fees for hospital treatment are fixed according to income, but will not exceed 50% of the standard fees.

• Hospital charges for the treatment of patients not covered in the categories stated above may be reduced according to level of the fees and the patient's income.

Emergency care is provided free for all persons who arrive at accident and emergency departments. Any further treatment in acute cases is provided on the basis of the conditions described above. Temporary visitors to the island are also provided with treatment free of charge at state sector establishments when they present Form E111, and citizens of the European Union on state retirement pensions who transfer their residence to Cyprus are provided with treatment free of charge when they present Form E121.

The cost of the treatment is charged to the patient's country of provenance on the basis of the Form E111 or Form E121. All of the districts now have new hospitals, and construction of the New General Hospital in Nicosia is under way. In recent years, in particular, there has been substantial development of tertiary medicine, and, as a result, cases which used to be sent abroad for treatment are now treated in Cyprus.

All cities in Cyprus have also numerous private hospitals and clinics as well as surgeries in all specialists.