Paralimni, Cyprus. Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said on Tuesday that adequate staffing levels are necessary to improve the quality of care at Famagusta general hospital. Speaking during a visit to the hospital, he linked staffing adequacy to providing quality health services within a sustainable health system.
Minister outlines hospital visit programme
Charalambides said he will visit every hospital in Cyprus in the coming weeks, aiming to upgrade the quality of healthcare provision across the island. He said the purpose of the visits is to personally assess the situation at hospitals, particularly public hospitals, focusing on infrastructure, medical equipment, and staffing levels of doctors, nurses and other personnel.
Government goal for public hospitals
He said the government’s goal is the continuous upgrading of public hospitals in Cyprus at all levels. Charalambides also expressed support and gratitude to health workers, saying he was at the hospital to listen to doctors, nurses and paramedical staff and to hear issues that may be troubling them, with a view to taking immediate decisions to resolve them.
Unions and parties raise understaffing concerns
Famagusta general hospital is among hospitals where staff frequently complain of understaffing. Nurses’ trade union Pasyno has previously described staff shortages as the “gangrene of the health system,” saying nursing staff strive to offer the best care despite chronic understaffing and the consequences it brings.
Pasyno has also said nurses “live every day in miserable working conditions, in understaffed hospitals, with serious shortages.” Akel has previously raised similar concerns, saying chronic understaffing, precarious working conditions and inadequate remuneration outside collective agreements have led to burnout, high rates of resignation and migration of nurses.
What steps do you think should be prioritised to address staffing shortages in public hospitals?