Cyprus
| National policy | |
|---|---|
| National policy/strategy or official recommendations on HIV testing? | Yes |
| Who can administer HIV tests? | |
| Restrictions on who can legally administer HIV tests? | No |
| Which groups can legally do HIV testing? |
|
| Further comments | Our respondents writes that 'though the legality of who can perform the HIV test is possibly unclear, the Ministry of Health in Cyprus supports the testing outreach work and activities of an NGO which is carried out by those who are not health professionals'. |
| Free HIV testing | |
| HIV testing free to all who want it? | Yes for all |
| Further comments | HIV Testing is provided in three
specific disease-control governmental
centres, anonymously and free. |
| Is free HIV testing available? | Yes in certain places |
| Further comments | HIV Testing is offered in Nicosia
(capital), Limassol and Larnaca
(Governmental HIV/AIDS central
clinic), but not in Paphos, or in any
province-areas (outside the cities). |
| HIV testing restrictions | |
| HIV testing access restricted for some groups/populations? | No |
| Which groups are restricted | |
| Further comments | |
| Availability of testing in non-clinical settings | |
| Is testing available in any of the following ways? | |
| Postal HIV sampling legal? | No |
| Home HIV testing legal? | No |
| Community testing at NGOs legal? | No |
| Community/outreach event testing legal? | Yes |
| Other | |
| Rapid tests used by community based testing services/initiatives? | |
| Anonymity/Confidentiality of HIV testing | |
| Anonymous testing available? | Yes |
| If yes, please give details | In specific disease-control
governmental centres ID is not
required. You are asked to provide
with a name and a year of birth which
could not be the real ones, you are
given a code with which you can
receive your results.
In outreach actvites the ASM has
been delivering, no identfication is
asked. Anyone could come and take
the test. We do take statistical information using an anonymous code
system. |
| If not, why not, what sort of information is required and is there any promise of confidentiality? | |
| Discrimination & equality | |
| Legislation | |
| Legislation protecting the rights of people with HIV? | No |
| Further comments | Our respondents write there are no specific laws that protect PLHIV. General Laws (Human rights, patient rights and data protection) apply. |
| Other key populations | |
| Needle exchange available for people who inject drugs? | Yes |
| Further comments | There is only one needle
exchange program (low threshold
program) in the
capital city with low
accessibility. Availability of needle exchange is also confirmed by information available on https://www.hri.global/global-state-of-harm-reduction |
| Opiate substitution therapy available? | Yes |
| Further comments | Recently OST has also been made available in prisons. |
| Are PWID (people who inject drugs) excluded from HIV treatment while actively using drugs? | No |
| Further comments | |
| Legal to sell sex? | Yes |
| Further comments | For further
information see http://spl.ids.ac.uk/sexworklaw |
| Legal to buy sex? | Yes |
| Further comments | One of our in-country respondents the Cyprus Family Planning Association (CFPA) asked that we referred to sex work as prostitution. They explained that though they did not have an official position they thought that the use of the term sex work beautified and normalized such activity as a legitimate employment sector. Though we are not able to do so we have recorded their concern. |
| Access to HIV Treatment | |
| Free access to HIV treatment? | Yes, for some |
| Further comments | |
| Status and access to HIV treatment and care in your country | |
| Access to HIV treatment restricted for certain populations with HIV? | Yes |
| Which groups are restricted? |
|
| If more than one of the above populations selected, please give more information | |
| Status | |
| Country status | EU |
| Mobility in Europe | |
| Do the following groups/populations have legal access to HIV treatment? (i.e provided on the same basis as citizens of the country) | |
| Legal treatment access: Other EU migrant nationals | Yes but there are exceptions |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | HIV Treatment is available in Cyprus for all Cypriot and EU citizens only. |
| Legal treatment access: general non-EU migrants | Yes but there are exceptions |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | HIV Treatment is available in Cyprus for all Cypriot and EU
citzens only. However, there have been specific cases
recorded where citzens from countries other than the
above were offered free treatment. |
| Legal treatment access: Non-EU migrants with asylum/refugee status | No |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | |
| Legal treatment access: Non-EU migrants who are undocumented | No |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | |
| Further comments | Not applicable as Cyprus is an EU member |
| About this data | |
| Last minor revision | |
| Last major revision | 17 November 2016 |
| Published | 19 January 2017 |
| Data sources | As well as responses from in-country individuals and organisations information was taken from the following sources:http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/aids/Pages/monitoring-dublin-declaration.aspx |
| Data contacts | Responses were received from AIDS Solidarity Movement (ASM) (www.asmcyprus.org), Cyprus Family Planning Association (CFPA) and Cyprus Antidrug Council |