Audit Findings: Long Waiting Times at Nicosia A&E Departments

The Audit Office of Cyprus conducted a surprise audit at the Accident and Emergency Departments (A&E) of the Nicosia and Limassol General Hospitals on October 1, 2025. The findings reveal significant delays and operational weaknesses.

According to the report, the average waiting time at the A&E of Nicosia General Hospital is over five hours, while at Limassol General Hospital it is two hours and 49 minutes. In one case in Nicosia, a patient waited for 11 hours and 28 minutes.

The Audit Office also found that disagreements between clinical directors regarding the specialty to which a case belongs cause delays. Furthermore, due to a malfunction of the CT scanner at Nicosia General Hospital, patients were transferred to a private hospital for CT scans, with medical reports being carried out via telediagnosis from Greece, as the hospital's radiologists refused to provide services.

A new CT scanner, costing €1.5 million, delivered in June 2025, has not been put into operation. The Office highlights the lack of a legal framework for the provision of telediagnosis services.

Finally, cases were identified where patients were admitted to wards by trainee doctors instead of on-call specialists, in violation of instructions.