Nurses Request Private Sector Assistance Due to A&E Overcrowding

Nurses in public hospitals are requesting assistance from the private sector to manage the increased number of patients in Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments. The situation in public hospitals is particularly strained due to overcrowding and increased admissions.

According to nurses, the need for assistance from private hospitals is imperative to relieve bed congestion. However, ΟΚΥπΥ (State Health Services Organisation) expresses disagreement, arguing that private hospitals do not have the necessary infrastructure, such as pathology and pulmonology clinics, to cope with the increased number of cases.

ΠΑΣΥΝΟ (Cyprus Nurses Union) has expressed concerns about the situation in the A&E departments of Nicosia and Larnaca General Hospitals, calling it dangerous. At the same time, ΠΑΣΥΔΥ (Cyprus Civil Servants Trade Union) is concerned about the long waiting times for patients to get a bed, which in some cases exceeds 24 hours.

The President of the Nurses branch of ΠΑΣΥΔΥ, Prodromos Argyridis, stressed that many patients wait in A&E for more than 48 hours until a bed is found. He also pointed out the staff shortage, which makes it difficult to open additional beds.

A meeting with the Director of Nursing Services is expected to take place next Friday to discuss the issue of nurse shortages.