A case raising serious questions about procedures in Cyprus public hospitals was revealed on Sigma TV’s “Protoselido” after a family discovered that their missing father had been in the mortuary of Larnaca General Hospital for nearly two months.
Claudius Antoniou said his father was admitted to the hospital on March 19 after being diagnosed with cancer, but had not informed his family about his condition.
“He wanted to go through it alone. He did not want people around him to support him while he fought it,” Antoniou said, describing his father as an independent man who often travelled or lived abroad for long periods.
Conflicting information from hospital
According to Antoniou, he received two missed calls from the hospital on March 26. When he called back minutes later, he was allegedly told that his father “had never been in the hospital”.
He claimed hospital staff informed him there was no file in the system and that his father “was never admitted, never discharged, never entered”.
However, official records later showed that his father died at 10:50 a.m. on the same day.
“From that point onwards, chaos began,” Antoniou said, describing how the family contacted relatives and hospitals in an effort to locate him.
“No hospital had my father registered. He did not exist in the systems,” he said.
Body discovered in mortuary
The breakthrough came on May 21 after the family urged police to check records.
“After our own insistence to the Police, we found him in the mortuary, among the unclaimed bodies,” Antoniou said.
He added that even on the morning of May 21, hospital staff continued to assure him that his father was not there.
Antoniou criticised the handling of the case and said the family received no proper explanation or support from hospital authorities.
“My sister, the daughter of the deceased, was never called into an office, offered a glass of water, and told ‘come here, we will explain everything to you’,” he said.
Questions over belongings and procedures
The family also raised concerns over missing personal belongings. Antoniou said they only received a mobile phone and some cash, while clothing, shoes and other items were missing.
He also questioned claims that patient information is removed from hospital systems after death, arguing this did not match the timeline of events.
Particularly emotional, Antoniou said no further attempt was made to contact him after the two missed calls, despite his number being listed as the emergency contact.
“There was absolutely no other attempt. Two missed calls were made and, because I did not answer, I lost the chance to bury my father,” he said.
“I was celebrating Easter while my father was dead. I never held the 40-day memorial. I buried him in a closed coffin because of decomposition, and nobody is giving me answers.”
Complaint filed with OKYpY
Antoniou said he has already filed an official complaint with the State Health Services Organisation (OKYpY), requesting a full investigation into the case.
“Maybe we are the small stone needed right now to fix this system,” he said, adding that “their indifference cannot remain unpunished”.
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