Free clinics in Cyprus offer free medical service to poor people

Cyprus is suffering an unprecedented economic crisis which is pushing more and more people into poverty.According to official statistics, the unemployment rate in Cyprus in the first quarter of this year is 15.9 percent, the number is 12.7 percent a year ago. In order to alleviate poverty, Volunteer Doctors Cyprus is offering free medical service to the poor people in Cyprus. Started in March this year, 4 free clinics have been established in the capital Nicosia and three other district cities, namely, Larnaka, Limassol and Paphos. Androula Agroti, president of Volunteer Doctors Cyprus, told Xinhua on Saturday in the free clinic in Nicosia that their organization's aim was to assist people, especially after disasters, and to alleviate their pains. Volunteer Doctors Cyprus, established in 1982, is a humanitarian non-governmental organization. It has over 1,000 members and has projects in Cyprus and other countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe and Palestine. "Nowadays because of the economic crisis in Cyprus, we focus on people in Cyprus. One of projects is social clinics, where the volunteer doctors offer their services to our people who suffer and have medical problem and economically are unable to go to hospitals and other clinics," said Agroti, who served as health minister in the previous government. A total of 55 doctors and 35 nurses are working in the 4 free clinics which are open on Saturdays and Sundays. The doctors and nurses use their weekends to work free of charge in the clinics. George Macriyiannis, head of the free clinics project, told Xinhua the fund to run the clinics comes from sponsors. The government also provides support. Since March, more than 300 patients visited this clinic. Tassos came to the clinic on Saturday with the abdomen pains. He said he got to know the clinic through some advertisement and he was happy with the service. Joseph came with an eye problem. He said the doctors gave help to the poor people, he is happy to be a beneficiary of the project. According to Volunteer Doctors Cyprus, the patient who is qualified to get free treatment in the clinics should be unemployed. But Macriyiannis said "we usually don't check their unemployment card. Everybody who comes can get treatment." He said the establishment of another free clinic is underway in Paralimni, a city in southeastern Cyprus. If the demand is high, they will consider to establish more clinics in the island, he said.