Nurses at the A&E Department (TAEP) of Larnaca staged a spontaneous work strike on Monday in protest over an incident involving verbal abuse towards a nurse at the A&E of Larnaca General Hospital.
According to an official statement, PASYNO (the Cyprus Nurses and Midwives Association) warned that nurses might withdraw from all A&E departments of the General Hospitals this coming Thursday, 27 March 2025, unless appropriate safety measures are taken by the State Health Services Organisation (OKYPY).
The nurses withdrew from the triage area of the A&E at Larnaca General from 09:00 to 10:00 as a sign of protest against the latest violent incident in the department.
In a statement, PASYNO General Secretary Savvas Iacovou said, “Once again, we are witnessing an episode of violence against healthcare professionals. We have raised this issue many times and held meetings, including with the Chief of Police, to push for measures. The state, through its executive and legislative powers, must implement measures to prevent such incidents. Unfortunately, nothing has been done so far. Even in meetings with OKYPY leadership, while they said they would try to address it, they have either failed or been unable to do so. Yesterday morning, in a container space outside the hospital—due to renovations and without an emergency exit—a patient and two of his companions verbally attacked a triage nurse. There was no issue of waiting time but rather a communication failure.”
He added that “the incident could not have been prevented, and despite police intervention, the victim ended up being the police officer, who was unable to handle the situation at the time. So far, the officer has not filed a complaint. The nurse was unable to return to work after the incident. We strongly condemn this event once again and stand by our colleagues to support and help them however needed.”
Additionally, the General Nursing Staff Branch of PASYDY (Cyprus Civil Servants Union) conducted an on-site visit to the Larnaca A&E and had extensive discussions with the nurses about safety issues they are facing. They are once again calling for measures to ensure the protection of staff working in A&E.
Nurse Andronikos Andronikou, representative of the PASYDY nursing branch, stated that the work stoppage was spontaneous because “this has been happening for years.” He said, “We’re watching the same story repeat itself. This is not the first such incident—it happens in hospitals across the board. Many decisions have been made on this issue, but none have been implemented.”
He stressed the need for action, saying, “We want these decisions implemented. We want those who commit such violent acts against any health worker to be punished in accordance with the law. We’re not asking for anything more than the right to work in a safe environment.”
The State Health Services Organisation (OKYPY) strongly condemned the verbal assault by a patient and his companions against a triage nurse at Larnaca General’s A&E, as well as the physical violence inflicted on the on-duty police officer who intervened immediately.
“The repeated violent incidents cause sadness, anger, and serious concern,” said OKYPY in a statement, expressing full support for all staff “who handle challenging situations with professionalism and save lives,” and stating that such behaviour cannot be accepted.
OKYPY added that the triage is currently being conducted in a temporary modular structure due to ongoing works to expand the A&E Department.
Once the project is completed, Larnaca will have a modern A&E Department that will fully meet the needs of patients, the statement concluded.
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“There was a violent incident yesterday around 1 p.m. at Larnaca A&E,” stated Police Press Officer Spyros Chrysostomou.
According to Mr Chrysostomou, “Initial investigations suggest that an injured person, accompanied by 4–5 individuals, visited the A&E at Larnaca General and attempted to bypass the queue and enter the Emergency Room immediately.”
He added, “They were approached by the on-duty police officer, who issued a warning to both the patient and his companions. One of them reacted, pushed, and verbally abused the officer before they all left without being examined.”
Mr Chrysostomou concluded by stating that “a suspect has been identified,” and investigations are underway to confirm their identity.
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