The Cyprus Parliament fast-tracks the creation of the National Ambulance Authority

The issue of establishing the National Ambulance Authority has returned to the spotlight. During a session of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, MPs reviewed a bill aimed at regulating the pre-hospital care system and the operation of ambulance services nationwide.

Committee Chairman Efthimios Diplaros stated that there is political will to pass the law before the end of the current parliamentary term. The document is scheduled to be put to a vote on March 26, 2026.

Head of the Ambulance Service, Riana Constantinou, noted that the law should have been passed two years ago. According to her, due to the lack of a unified legal framework, private operators function with minimal state oversight.

She also reported a sharp increase in workload: while there were about 5,000 patient transport calls in 2020, that number now reaches 45,000. Meanwhile, the staff size has not significantly increased. This, she said, undermines the primary mission of the service—emergency life-saving—as crews are increasingly used for scheduled transfers.

Ministry of Health representative Karolina Stylianou explained that the newly created National Authority will serve as the central coordination infrastructure. The launch of a Central Call Coordination Center, which the country currently lacks, is planned.

The bill provides for:

• licensing and monitoring of all ambulance operators;
• regulation of non-emergency transfers;
• standards for personnel and labor relations;
• creation of an advisory committee to increase transparency;
• a phased transition to greater autonomy for the service by December 31, 2026.

The State Health Services Organisation (OKYpY) supported the initiative, emphasizing that the service has been significantly modernized over the past five years—with updated vehicles, infrastructure, and digital systems. The agency believes the reform should not weaken the results achieved.

Trade unions generally support the law, but demand guarantees for job security and working conditions during the transition of employees to the new structure.

MPs also requested details on financial expenditures, including the procurement of new vehicles and the potential involvement of private companies in providing services under the new model.

The bill will continue to be reviewed article by article before being submitted for a final vote in parliament.