Health minister seeks talks with nurses who left the profession

Nicosia, Cyprus. Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides said on Monday that he wanted to speak with former nurses about their reasons for leaving nursing, as staff shortages placed pressure on the general health system (Gesy).

Minister seeks nurses’ accounts

In an interview with CyBC, Charalambides said conflicting figures supplied to him meant he could not provide a precise total of nurses no longer practising. He said he wanted to “hear from them directly and record their experiences and concerns”.

He acknowledged that low salaries and negative workplace experiences could be among the factors behind their decisions. He described the nursing shortage as particularly significant and said Gesy was facing heavy pressure.

Committee hears figures on inactive nurses

The minister’s comments came after last week’s meeting of the House health committee, during which a nursing council representative put the number of trained nurses currently outside practice at approximately 1,450.

The committee also heard that 988 nurses aged under 40 were not renewing their licences.

Proposals for recruitment outside the EU

Charalambides said the ministry’s immediate measures included legislation before parliament to permit recruitment of nurses from non-EU countries on a controlled basis.

Addressing MPs on Thursday, ministry spokeswoman Carolina Stylianou said the proposals would enable hospitals to hire around 150 nurses from those countries. She described the measure as a “temporary solution” while efforts to attract young Cypriots to the profession took effect.

Under the proposed rules, applicants from third countries would have to hold the necessary qualifications and would generally need two years of experience.