Private Hospitals and Clinics in Cyprus: How Private Care Works Alongside GESY

If you are registered with GESY, most private hospitals in Cyprus are open to you at no cost for the stay itself: you need a referral, and both the hospital and your doctor must be contracted to GESY. Private care only costs you real money when you step outside the system, for example by choosing a doctor who is not contracted, paying for extras or going to a private A&E that has no GESY contract.

Below we explain how the two systems fit together, list the main private hospitals in each city, and show what you pay in each case. For registration and the basics, start with our GESY guide.

How do private hospitals fit into GESY?

GESY, the General Healthcare System, is a single insurance fund run by the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO). It does not run hospitals itself. It pays contracted providers, public and private, for treating its beneficiaries. Since private hospitals joined in 2020, a GESY patient can be admitted to a contracted private hospital on the same terms as to a public one.

In practice, that means:

• Inpatient care (admission, surgery, intensive care) under GESY has no co-payment, whether the hospital is public or private.
• You can choose the hospitalAs long as the hospital and the treating doctor both work with GESY and you have a referral from your personal doctor (GP) or a specialist.
• Extras are yours to pay. A hospital may charge for a single room, and cosmetic surgery is not covered.
• Private patients are treated too. Contracted hospitals still accept people who pay themselves or through insurance, for example for a doctor who is outside GESY.

Contracts change, so check the current provider lists on the GESY website or call the GESY helpline on 17000 before you book anything planned.

Which private hospitals are there in each city?

The table lists the main private general hospitals and clinics we could confirm as operating in 2026. The GESY column follows the British government's list of hospitals in Cyprus, updated in June 2026, plus HIO announcements for Ygia Polyclinic, which that list leaves out. It shows whether the hospital is listed as GESY-contracted, not whether every department or doctor is, so always confirm for your own treatment.

"Not listed" does not mean a hospital has no GESY work at all, only that the British list does not show it. If you want to use GESY at the American Medical Center or Hippocrateon, ask the hospital directly which services, if any, are covered. The Mediterranean Hospital is in Limassol, not Nicosia, despite what some directories say.

What is free under GESY and what do you pay?

These are the GESY charges for beneficiaries in 2026, as published by the HIO and reported in June 2026. They apply equally in public and contracted private settings.

Co-payments are capped at €150 a year, or €75 for children up to 21, low-income pensioners and people on the guaranteed minimum income. Women aged 15 and over can see a gynaecologist without the €25 charge.

What you pay in full: doctors and hospitals outside GESY, a single room or other hotel-style extras, cosmetic procedures, most adult dental care and treatment that is not medically necessary.

Can you go private without a GESY referral?

Yes, in two ways.

1. Book a GESY-contracted specialist directly. You pay the €25 contribution instead of €6. It is the cheapest way to skip the GP, and the visit is still recorded on your GESY file.
2. See a doctor outside GESY, or book privately. The doctor or hospital sets the fee and you pay it all, then claim from private insurance if you have it. There is no published national tariff, so ask for a written quote, especially for surgery, where the surgeon's fee, theatre, anaesthetist and room may be billed separately.

Non-GESY prescriptions are paid at the full pharmacy price, so if you go private for a diagnosis, ask whether your GP can take over repeat prescriptions under GESY.

Do you need private health insurance as well?

It is optional for GESY beneficiaries. People usually add a plan to use doctors outside GESY, get a private room, cover dental or eye care, or have treatment abroad. Some insurers sell cheaper "top-up" plans built around GESY, so compare what is actually paid on top.

If you are not a GESY beneficiary, for example on a visitor (pink slip), student or digital nomad permit, private insurance is your only cover, and the Migration Department will ask for it. See our guide to health insurance for a residence permit.

Where do you go in an emergency?

Call 112 or 199 for an ambulance. Under GESY, A&E costs €10 unless you are admitted.

• Nicosia: Nicosia General Hospital (public) or the Apollonion A&E (private, GESY).
• Limassol: Limassol General Hospital (public), or the Ygia Polyclinic and Mediterranean Hospital A&Es (private, GESY).
• Larnaca, Paphos and Famagusta: the public general hospitals are the GESY options. In January 2025 the health minister and private hospital representatives confirmed that these districts had no private A&E in GESY, and we found no later change.

Private hospitals outside the GESY A&E network may still see emergencies as private patients and charge you for it, so ask before treatment if you are not insured. Our health and safety guide lists public A&E phone numbers.

How do you choose a private hospital or doctor?

• Check the doctor is registered. Every practising doctor must be on the Cyprus Medical Register, kept by the Cyprus Medical Council at the Ministry of Health. The Cyprus Medical Association is the doctors' professional body, not the register.
• Confirm GESY status for your treatmentNot just the hospital's name. Ask: is this doctor, this procedure and this ward covered?
• Look for accreditation. Hospitals list their certifications on their websites, such as ISO standards for laboratories. If a hospital claims an international accreditation such as JCI, check it on the accrediting body's own website before relying on it.
• Read reviews carefully. Google reviews and local expat groups are useful on waiting times, English-speaking staff and billing surprises, but less reliable on clinical quality.
• Ask about follow-up. Physiotherapy, scans and check-ups after discharge can also go through GESY with the referral the hospital issues.

What to do next

1. Make sure you are registered with GESY and a personal doctor (our GESY guide).
2. Note your nearest GESY A&E, public or private, from the list above.
3. Before planned treatment, check the hospital and doctor on the GESY provider lists and ask for a written quote for anything outside GESY.
4. If you need cover beyond GESY, compare plans in our health insurance guide.