A formal complaint has been submitted to the Minister of Health, the Director-General of the Health Insurance Organisation (OAY) and the Executive Director of OKYPY concerning patient care at Larnaca General Hospital, following the death of 72-year-old Konstantia Nikolaou in the early hours of 18 January 2026.
Patient care concerns
According to the family, Nikolaou was admitted on 17 January at 16:00 suffering severe COVID-19 symptoms. They claim it took five hours and repeated calls before a doctor attended, diagnosing sepsis. The patient was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Unit amid pressure from a separate serious incident involving gunfire in the city.
The family states the attending doctor initially assured them no relative needed to stay, and that necessary medications would be administered. At 03:51 on 18 January, a nurse reportedly told the family “everything is fine,” but at 04:17, they were informed the patient had died from cardiac arrest.
Serious questions raised
The complaint highlights alleged failures in patient monitoring, the operation of vital signs equipment, and the timely activation of resuscitation procedures. The family also alleges that medications had not been administered and that even a water bottle next to the patient remained sealed.
The letter calls for an immediate and full investigation, staffing improvements, and assurances that patients will not remain without continuous and adequate supervision.
Family demands
The family’s letter requests:
• A full investigation into the complaint.
• Immediate measures to ensure sufficient medical and nursing staff.
• Continuous and effective monitoring of all patients.
• Ending practices that compromise patient care and turn public hospitals into places of neglect.
They emphasise that human life must not be treated as a “collateral loss” in an understaffed health system, and that delays and negligence cost lives.
Also read: Cause of 42-year-old Georgia’s death remains unknown
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