Nursing staff at Larnaca General Hospital staged a spontaneous one-hour protest on Wednesday over long-standing operational problems and staff exhaustion.
Speaking during the mobilisation, PASYDY Senior Nursing Officer Andronikos Andronikou said the hospital had relied for years on nurses working overtime to cover basic ward needs and care for patients.
He said patient flow at hospitals in the Larnaca district had also increased.
Staff facing exhaustion
Andronikou said nursing staff had become exhausted and were no longer able to cope with their duties.
“We are holding them in the wards with everything we have so they can care for our patients,” he said, referring to efforts to keep staff in place despite the pressures.
Calls for action
Andronikou said nursing staff had repeatedly raised their concerns with the State Health Services Organisation (OKYPY).
He accused OKYPY of failing to respond adequately to their concerns and said the Ministry of Health must also assume responsibility for addressing the problems affecting the hospital.
The protest follows concerns raised by nursing staff over overcrowding, staffing pressures and the use of continuous overtime to meet hospital needs.
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