The Cyprus Medical Association (PIS) is preparing to check doctors working at licensed and unlicensed medical centres across Cyprus following the completion of a mapping exercise, its president Petros Agathangelou said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a PIS press conference, Agathangelou warned of what he described as aphenomenon of “quackery”, as well as misinformation spread through social media andthe direct commercial promotion of health services and products.
He said these developments had created a new and particularly complex environmentfor members of the public seeking medical treatment.
The PIS president said the association intended to work with the Health Ministry and other relevant authorities to address concerns surrounding medical services, products and claims being promoted to the public.
Association highlights growing range of health claims
Agathangelou said a wide range of services and interventions were currently being promoted using terms such as “innovative”, “regenerative”, “anti-ageing”, “longevity”, “detox”, “holistic” and “alternative”.
At the same time, he said medicines and other preparations, injectable products, biological substances and services accompanied by therapeutic or diagnostic claimswere being offered online.
He stressed that the issue was not the name given to a treatment or innovation itself.
“Medicine evolves precisely because scientific knowledge evolves and new therapeutic possibilities are constantly developed and evaluated,” he said.
The key question, he added, was whether what was being offered to the public wassupported by sufficient scientific evidence, provided by appropriately trainedprofessionals, used legally and appropriately approved products and equipment, carried out under safe conditions and presented honestly rather than misleadingly.
Agathangelou also stressed the importance of distinguishing between an established medical procedure and its use for indications for which there was no correspondingscientific evidence.
PIS to launch public information campaign
Agathangelou said the PIS and Pharmaceutical Services would launch an information campaign aimed at helping members of the public make informed decisions about thecentres they visit and the preparations they are offered.
He urged citizens to submit complaints to the PIS where they had concerns.
The association, he said, had an institutional responsibility to contribute to reliablepublic information, prevention and greater patient safety.
Its objective was to help citizens distinguish evidence-based medicine fromunsupported therapeutic claims, while reminding the medical community of its scientific, ethical and legal obligations.
PIS secretary Michalis Anastasiades said a coordinated response was needed to illegalactivities by individuals who, he alleged, used various methods to profit at the expense of unsuspecting members of the public.
“We will insist on effective measures that will restrict the uncontrolled activities of those exploiting the situation,” he said.
Anastasiades noted that various bodies had different responsibilities under the law covering medicines, medical equipment and the suitability of facilities for providing medical services.
He said cooperation between the relevant institutions was therefore essential andstressed that the PIS was not seeking to shift responsibility either from itself or other services.
Experts say plasma exchange is safe under proper conditions
The PIS also addressed concerns surrounding plasma exchange, or plasmapheresis, with medical experts stressing that the treatment can be safe when carried out under appropriate conditions and in suitable facilities.
George Miltiadou, chairman of the PIS Scientific Committee, said plasma exchange was a medical method that could save lives and that there should be no general fear about undergoing the treatment for a range of conditions, including pathological, haematological and neurological diseases.
The procedure was carried out mainly by nephrologists, he said, in cooperation with doctors from other specialties.
Miltiadou also said the operating licence and certificates required by each medicalcentre should be displayed prominently so that members of the public could check them.
Andreas Kourouklis, president of the Cyprus Nephrology Society, said plasma exchange was a safe treatment when performed under the correct conditions and in appropriate facilities.
He called on patients already undergoing the treatment to continue doing so.
Patients who were offered plasma exchange in hospital settings by medical teams, he said, could be reassured that the procedure was safe and that there was no reason forconcern.
Pambos Papadopoulos, representing the Cyprus Patients' Association (OSAK), said theroles of the various institutions involved in protecting patient safety needed to be clearly defined and strictly observed.
PIS to examine case involving Larnaca medical centre
Responding to questions about a medical centre in Larnaca that is alleged to be operating without the necessary licences, Agathangelou said the Health Ministry was responsible for deciding whether the centre could continue operating while legalproceedings were completed.
The PIS, he said, could investigate whether unlicensed doctors were working at centres that were operating.
Asked about a doctor at the Larnaca centre who was allegedly using the PIS logo, the association's leadership expressed surprise and said instructions had been given to its legal adviser to examine the matter.
Agathangelou said the PIS would examine the legal aspects of the case with the HealthMinistry, including any gaps in the existing framework, to prevent legal proceedings fromfailing to reach completion because of insufficient evidence.
He also urged doctors who were PIS members to be cautious about commercial proposals and about the organisations and centres with which they chose to collaborate.
If a centre was not licensed, he warned, doctors working there could potentially be considered participants in its operation.
Agathangelou also questioned claims surrounding interventions designed to alter the biological ageing process of cells, saying that a cell has a biological cycle that cannotsimply be altered through interventions unless gene therapy is involved.
“We have not yet reached precision medicine on this issue,” he said.
Source: CNA
