Nicosia, Cyprus. Proposed legislation to allow the employment of nurses from third countries was postponed on Thursday after the House health committee failed to reach agreement, leaving the bill on hold amid continued stakeholder disagreement and union pressure.
Committee fails to reach agreement
The bill had been scheduled for discussion at 11.30am, but the debate did not proceed following a deadlock during consultations between the health ministry and nursing representatives.
A meeting held earlier in the day between Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides, union representatives and committee chairman Efthimios Diplaros did not produce a compromise, leaving the committee unable to advance the legislation.
Protest outside parliament
Following the impasse, union representatives and a group of nursing students gathered outside parliament in protest, seeking to prevent the discussion from taking place.
The demonstration did not ultimately proceed after assurances were given that the bill would not be examined during the session.
Legislative process put on hold
The development effectively freezes the legislative process, with indications that the bill will now be deferred to the next parliamentary term and examined by a new health committee after June.
Government cites staffing shortages
The delay comes despite the government’s effort to promote the amendments as a targeted response to ongoing staffing shortages across the healthcare system.
Proposed conditions for third-country nurses
The proposed changes to the nursing and midwifery bill were intended to allow the controlled employment of nurses from third countries under specific conditions.
These included a cap of 10 per cent on the proportion of foreign nurses within each healthcare unit, a requirement for moderate knowledge of the Greek language and restrictions on senior roles, including a prohibition on serving as shift managers.
The amendments also provided for the removal of the current requirement for a postgraduate qualification in certain cases.
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