SigmaLive English spoke to a doctor working at Paphos General Hospital about the problems facing Cyprus public hospitals, many of which remain unseen until patients need medical care. From inadequate facilities and outdated equipment to excessive bureaucracy and staff shortages, the doctor outlined the issues requiring urgent attention.
The doctor argued that the problems stem from a healthcare system that lacks effective organisation and fails to meet the needs of both patients and healthcare workers. They called for a comprehensive review and restructuring of the system.
The doctor believes all these problems stem from the fact that Cyprus does not have a comprehensive and well-organised healthcare system that operates smoothly and serves the interests of both patients and healthcare workers. The system as a whole is dysfunctional, and almost nothing works as it should.
Taking the issues one by one:
Outdated infrastructure and inadequate facilities
In the doctor’s view, although several departments, such as the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E), have been renovated, others have been neglected and require repairs. These include patient wards, beds and other facilities.
Many patients complain about the quality of the mattresses. In one particular case, a patient chose to discharge themselves because they were unable to sleep properly due to the poor quality of the mattress.
Paphos General Hospital has only one medical ward, with 20 beds. This is nowhere near enough to meet the demand, which can reach around 50 patients a day. At least one additional medical ward needs to be staffed and equipped with the necessary facilities to provide appropriate patient care.
The layout of the hospital’s spaces also needs to be improved, with designated areas for a visitors’ lounge, doctors’ and nurses’ offices, a kitchen and other essential facilities. These areas should also be equipped with modern equipment so that staff can carry out their duties efficiently and visitors, as well as other users, can feel comfortable.
The current state of the equipment illustrates the problem. Keyboards, computers and printers are outdated, malfunctioning and frequently cause problems. How can a doctor, nurse or other member of staff perform their duties effectively when they have to deal with obstacles that should not be part of their job in the first place?
It is worth noting that whenever these problems are reported and solutions are requested, any fixes appear to be temporary. There is not even any discussion about replacing broken equipment.
Paper-based procedures cause delays
Even if the hospital’s infrastructure problems are resolved, this will be in vain unless it also operates efficiently. In the doctor’s view, one of the most unacceptable issues is the bureaucracy and the lack of automation in procedures. Everything is still done by hand and on paper in 2026, and there is no electronic system that brings all the information together.
The doctor gave an example. A patient arrives at the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) and is assessed as needing hospital admission. An admission form must be completed by hand, recording all the patient’s medical information and treatment plan.
To do this, staff must also retrieve information from the patient’s electronic health record, which is held on a separate platform (the General Healthcare System, or GHS). If the patient has previously been admitted to the hospital, staff must search elsewhere for those records as well. This is always done manually, using a specific computer where the information may be stored, often on a different floor.
There is no integrated system that brings all this information together to make the process more efficient and comprehensive. There is not even any connection between the records of different departments within the same hospital.
As the doctor explained, this process takes around an hour. Now imagine having to do this while, for example, five other patients are still waiting.
Paperwork wastes time and resources
Numerous forms and documents have to be completed to carry out medical tests. This results in a huge waste of paper and, as mentioned earlier, time. Needless to say, many of these documents are often lost, causing further delays in procedures, always to the detriment of the patient.
The patient’s medical progress is also recorded by hand on paper, when keeping these records electronically would be far more useful and efficient.
In conclusion, these procedures make no sense, lack efficiency and certainly need to be reviewed.
The doctor also highlighted the lack of proper management when it comes to procedures. Where can a patient, a family member or a member of staff turn for help or information on any given issue? Are there established, formal procedures in place? The doctor does not think so. And if there are, why are they not made known to everyone?
Staff shortages increase pressure on healthcare workers
Staff shortages are a well-known problem, affecting doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and other hospital personnel. The problems that arise as a result are, in the doctor’s view, self-evident. These include burnout, errors and reduced performance. The gap between staffing needs and the reality on the ground is disproportionate, and the workload placed on each employee is unrealistic.
The consequences are equally serious. For example, resident doctors are expected to take blood samples, examine patients, prepare discharge documents, update patients’ families, monitor patients and make the necessary changes to their treatment, check laboratory and imaging results and take the appropriate action, arrange procedures for patients, and deal with anything else that may be required.
All of this may involve eight to ten patients a day, sometimes even more. At the same time, they must remain on active on-call duty, covering the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) and dealing with any other issues that arise.
Another example is the shortage of nursing staff, which can mean that one nurse is responsible for eight to ten patients.
The issue is not simply the workload. The quality of care is inevitably compromised as a result of these conditions. It should be emphasised that everyone does their best and is willing to provide care, but they are working within a system that creates adverse conditions and fails to support them.
There is no adequate protection of staff rights, whether for doctors or other healthcare workers. Staff frequently, if not daily, experience a lack of respect, verbal abuse, criticism of their work and non-compliance with instructions, among other issues.
Respect must be mutual and work both ways. It should never be abandoned in the context of healthcare provision and the needs of patients.
In conclusion, there is not just one problem, and there is no single solution. The doctor believes the situation will not be resolved by addressing one isolated issue while the system as a whole is collapsing. The healthcare system needs to be completely reviewed and restructured.
The current situation is dysfunctional, prehistoric and unacceptable.
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