Gesy IT failures raise calls for contingency plan

Repeated failures of the Gesy IT system this week have raised concern among healthcare providers, with the president of the pharmaceutical association warning that the state should have had a contingency plan in place to protect patients.

The comments were made during an appearance on CyBC’s morning radio programme, following a meeting chaired by the health minister on Wednesday afternoon to address problems observed in the Gesy software.

Describing the situation, association president Georgiadis said these software problems had been ongoing since Monday, with the system repeatedly going on and off, at one point remaining offline for a considerable period before being restored late in the evening.

Similar issues were recorded again on Tuesday, though to a lesser extent, while on Wednesday pharmacies reported excessive delays, with the system intermittently failing throughout the day.

He said pharmacists were experiencing serious difficulties, adding that similar problems had emerged eight months ago and had resurfaced again since December.

“Beyond the hardship faced by healthcare providers, that is, pharmacists, doctors, and labs, I believe patients are suffering even more,” he said.

He pointed out that the disruption affected patients whose healthcare is funded collectively through contributions paid to the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO), adding that “it’s sad that there isn’t software that works properly.”

“I think a serious organisation like the HIO which deals with people’s health, all of our health, should have a plan B,” he said.

Georgiadis added that healthcare providers had consistently met their obligations since the introduction of Gesy seven years ago and argued that the system had moved well beyond its initial phase.

As a result, he said, deeper structural fixes were now required to prevent repeated disruptions and to ensure patients and providers were not subjected to further hardship.

The HIO’s head of IT, Marios Tziakouris, acknowledged the disruption caused by the failures, saying they were affecting both beneficiaries and healthcare professionals.

“Unfortunately, as an organisation we are dependent on the actions of the contractor operating the IT system,” Tziakouris said.

He explained that Gesy runs on a large and complex digital platform that the HIO cannot manage independently, relying instead on the contractor both for system operation and for resolving technical issues when they arise.

Tziakouris also acknowledged the need for a contingency plan, but said that “creating a plan B for such a large system is not simple – it would effectively mean maintaining a second system in parallel”.

He said discussions on possible fallback solutions had begun six to eight months ago, initially with pharmacies, during which ideas were exchanged on how such measures could be implemented.

However, he explained that after earlier system disruptions had subsided and assurances were given by the contractor that stability had been restored, focus shifted towards improving and expanding the central system.

Tziakouris noted that Gesy has been in operation since 2019 and, until recent years, had not been plagued by recurring technical issues, leading authorities to prioritise system development rather than investing in a parallel backup.

He said this was also driven by the need for Gesy to continuously evolve, as healthcare demands grow and new functions must be added, including mechanisms to address issues such as illegal rehabilitation, illegal over-the-counter medications and the treatment of patients abroad.

According to Tziakouris, problems intensified in recent weeks, culminating on Monday and Tuesday when the system became largely dysfunctional.

He said the HIO has remained in close contact with the contractor, while a meeting was held on Wednesday under the auspices of the health minister, who pushed for immediate solutions, both permanent and interim.

He said the contractor has since identified the problem and prepared a software upgrade, which is expected to restore stability, while interim measures have been put in place to limit disruption.

Tziakouris expressed hope that by early next week the system would return to stable operation.

He added that the contract includes specific service-level requirements, assessed monthly through around 25 performance indicators, including system availability and response times. When these standards are not met, as has occurred several times over the past year, contractual penalties are imposed.