Nicosia, Cyprus. Trade unions on Tuesday rejected proposed changes to minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, saying any reduction in staffing requirements would put patient safety at risk while doing little to address a worsening shortage in the healthcare system.
Opposition to proposed amendments
Sek, Peo, Pasydy and Pasyno said they strongly opposed proposed amendments to the private hospitals law that would revise minimum staffing ratios in private healthcare facilities.
The unions said reducing the required number of nurses per patient would weaken standards rather than modernise the sector.
Concerns over staffing levels
According to the unions, lower staffing levels would increase workloads, delay responses to patient needs and add pressure on nurses already facing high levels of professional burnout.
They warned that weakening nurse staffing requirements could have direct consequences for patient care and safety, and called on the health ministry to withdraw the proposal and instead focus on measures that strengthen healthcare services.
Wider staffing crisis
The latest intervention comes as the health ministry seeks to address a deficit estimated at around 600 nurses in the clinical sector.
The dispute marks the second major obstacle to the ministry’s efforts to tackle the staffing crisis. Earlier proposals to facilitate the recruitment of nurses from third countries were also met with strong opposition from unions and professional bodies, resulting in the legislation being put on hold.
As a result, the two principal measures advanced by the ministry to ease staffing pressures have both met resistance.
Minister’s assessment
Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou has previously acknowledged the scale of the problem, describing the shortage as a structural challenge affecting the entire healthcare system.