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- Children in crisis and adults with mental health disorders are reportedly transported in police vehicles, sometimes in handcuffs or held overnight in cells.
- A Paphos child on the severe autism spectrum was transported by police car to Nicosia, then returned to Paphos after the case was deemed social.
- Families and advocacy groups urged legislative change, saying current procedures cause humiliation, stigma, psychological trauma, and inadequate support.
- OKYPY acknowledged serious weaknesses, while unions raised staffing and overcrowding concerns and noted only four nurses are currently available.
Serious gaps in mental health care were highlighted during the latest meetings of the House Health Committee, with patients and families continuing to face difficulties accessing appropriate services.
Children in crisis are reportedly being transported between cities in police cars to receive the care they need. In some cases, incidents initially treated as mental health cases are later found to require social or other services.
Adults with mental health disorders are also being transported to Athalassa Hospital in police vehicles, sometimes in handcuffs, while some spend the night in police station holding cells.
Families have also described the stigma surrounding mental health and the pressure they face to effectively request the arrest of relatives who are experiencing a mental health crisis.
Paphos child transported to Nicosia
Health Committee President Savia Orphanidou referred to a complaint involving a child on the severe end of the autism spectrum.
According to Orphanidou, an order was issued for the child, who was self-harming, to be transported by police car from Paphos to Nicosia. The child was later returned to Paphos, again in a police vehicle.
A representative of the relevant service said the case was ultimately assessed as “purely social” and was referred to social and mental health services in Paphos.
She stressed that mental health conditions must be distinguished from social protection needs to prevent cases that are primarily social from being “psychiatrised”.
Calls for legislative change
A representative of the Association of Families of People with Mental Illness said patients and their families would continue to suffer, face humiliation and stigma, and experience psychological trauma unless legislation was changed.
She said families should not have to seek compulsory hospitalisation orders that trigger a process involving police vehicles, holding cells and judges.
The representative also called for family support to be included in the National Mental Health Strategy, describing the lack of guidance and assistance available to families.
Police union branch president Nikos Loizidis described the difficulties faced by officers responding to mental health incidents.
He said police officers sometimes have to break down doors, support relatives and attempt to calm patients. He also said officers use handcuffs and transport patients in police vans before they reach Athalassa Hospital.
Loizidis said some police vehicles have been damaged or stained with blood following injuries sustained by patients outside the hospital, while officers are also placed in situations where they have to act as psychiatrists or psychologists.
Staffing shortages raise concerns
Representatives of mental health nursing unions also raised concerns about staffing and overcrowding.
They said the three wards, with a combined capacity of about 60 beds, had at times accommodated significantly more patients before the completion of the first phase of renovations.
They also called for greater support for mental health nursing, noting that only four nurses are currently available.
According to figures presented to the committee, there were only 36 new registrations on the Mental Health Nursing Register between 2020 and 2026.
They warned that without meaningful incentives and measures to attract new professionals, the sector could face further shortages.
OKYPY acknowledges shortcomings
The State Health Services Organisation (OKYPY) acknowledged serious weaknesses in the system and said it was taking responsibility for the measures within its remit.
OKYPY Financial Director Roberto Karahannas said some patients require specific medication but may sometimes stop taking it. He said existing legislation does not allow compulsory medication, which can lead some patients to relapse and return to hospital.
He rejected, however, the suggestion that services are completely absent.
Regarding the second and third phases of upgrades to the mental health hospital, he said the evaluation was at an advanced stage and had so far produced a positive outcome.
If funding is required during 2026, it will need to be included in a supplementary budget, while amounts required for 2027 will be incorporated into the state budget for next year.
Also read: Cabinet approves €12.5m child benefit reform proposal
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