The President and members of the Board of Directors of CYCCA (Cyprus Crohn's & Colitis Association) met on Tuesday, 30 June, with the Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Mrs. Stella Kyriakidou.

During the meeting, a petition and formal complaint previously submitted to the Minister of Health was presented regarding the specialization of a pediatrician at King's College Hospital in gastroenterology. The request was addressed to the Minister of Health, Dr. Philippos Patsalis, and was signed by more than 1,000 individuals. The signatures were collected during the Association’s recent events held in connection with World IBD Day.

Despite the technical agreement signed in March 2014 between the Ministry of Health and King's College Hospital, the Ministry had still not proceeded (in the Association's view, without justification) with the implementation of its most important provision: the training of a pediatrician at the London hospital. As a result, uncertainty continues and children with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease are still not receiving the level of specialized healthcare they deserve. It should be noted that there is currently no pediatric gastroenterologist in Cyprus, either in the public or private healthcare sector.

The meeting also addressed other issues affecting patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), including:

• Long waiting lists for colonoscopies at Nicosia and Limassol hospitals.
• The need to establish a registry for surgical procedures.
• Direct prescribing of biologic and biosimilar medications by private gastroenterologists, in order to reduce patient inconvenience and ease the workload of public-sector specialists.
• The urgent need to exempt young people with IBD from military service obligations.
• The need to establish clear criteria for including educators with IBD in the special category of teachers with disabilities for appointments within the public education system.

The Member of Parliament and CYCCA agreed on a number of specific actions to address these issues and will meet again in September to evaluate progress and outcomes.

CYCCA (Cyprus Crohn's & Colitis Association)