The Pancyprian Union of Nurses (PASYNO) has accused the State Health Services Organisation (OKYPY) of “persistent apathy” in addressing the challenges faced by the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) in Nicosia, which handles cases from across Cyprus. PASYNO has warned that without solutions, the department risks collapsing under the burden of its workload.
In a statement, PASYNO described the situation in the department as “unprecedented,” noting that it continues to function solely due to the dedicated efforts of the medical and nursing staff.
“The situation has reached a breaking point. Patients are waiting for hours because there are no beds available in the hospital wards to transfer cases and alleviate the department,” the statement added.
“The outrageous and particularly concerning issue is that cases referred to the department by ambulance must be taken over by nursing staff before the ambulance crew can be released. As a result, ambulances accumulate at the hospital and are unable to serve the rest of Cyprus,” it stated.
PASYNO emphasised that “words cannot fully capture the dire situation.” It highlighted that doctors and nurses are working under constant pressure, handling one case after another, often having to leave one patient to attend to another. “Daily battles are fought over beds with the other wards, which are fully occupied,” it said.
The union called on the Ministry of Health and OKYPY to jointly and seriously address the department’s issues. It urged them to apply pressure on private-sector A&E departments to accept patients and end their policy of catering only to profit-making cases.
“Public health is neither a commodity nor a source of profit,” it stressed.
PASYNO also stated that if the problems at A&E and OKYPY hospitals are not resolved, autonomy cannot be achieved, nor can the hospitals continue to operate effectively or provide quality services.
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Source: CNA
