American in Cyprus

The kids are feeling much better now and Demetris is on the upswing as well. So far I have been lucky and haven't caught the bug. With the recent illnesses I had a couple of people ask questions about the health care system here. Cyprus does have free government sponsored health care provided that you go to the public hospital or clinic. The problem is that there is often a longer wait so many people end up going to private clinics or doctors. For example, when we took the kids to the doctor last week we went to a private doctor because for a sick child we might have waited a week for an appointment at the public hospital. Obviously, we needed to get in quicker. Instead we were able to see a private doctor within a couple of hours. The other issue is that the government program doesn't cover absoulutely everything. For this reason it is common for people to get supplemental health insurance through their work. The best comparison I can make is to Medicare. Demetris qualifies as a citizen for the government program, as do the kids since they are his dependents. When I completed the paperwork to extend my stay beyond the usual tourist time I had to prove that we would be able to cover my health expenses. I purchased a health insurance plan they have for immigrants for about $250 for a year. That covers all inpatient care for me. Routine doctors visits aren't covered because they don't cost much to begin with. For the kids it was $60 each for the recent visit. Not too bad.
On our way home from the doctors the other day, Alex spotted a new playground. He is always on the lookout. It is located close to the President's house. Today we decided to check it out. The playground was average but it turned out to be on a large park with walking paths that lead fairly close to the presidential home. A very pretty park. All of the below pictures were taken on these grounds. Demetris said he had never been there before and he didn't even know about that park. A learning experience for all of us.