House committee urges faster staffing and oncology upgrades at Limassol General Hospital

Limassol, Cyprus. The House health committee called for expedited action on staffing shortages and oncology services at Limassol General Hospital during a visit on Thursday.

Committee chair Savia Orphanidou said four required medical specialties needed to be addressed and called for additional doctors and nursing staff at the hospital’s haematology clinic.

Staffing and cancer services

Orphanidou called for the development of cancer treatment services, including the possibility of the hospital eventually carrying out bone marrow transplants using either patients’ own cells or cells from donors.

“We expect you to proceed with all measures and to immediately resolve these problems,” Orphanidou told the state health services organisation, Okypy.

Okypy plans and investment

Okypy board chairman Marinos Kallis said the organisation was aware of the issues and had already established solutions and timetables.

He said Okypy had spent more than €250 million on infrastructure and equipment over the past three years.

“We have completed the recovery plan on time and are also moving forward with the other projects, which we will have finished by 2027,” Kallis said.

The committee was told that development projects at Limassol General Hospital were expected to be completed by the end of next year, according to Okypy.

Bone marrow transplant approval

Orphanidou said the committee wanted to prioritise cancer treatment and expected approval for the German oncology centre to carry out bone marrow transplants using donor cells.

The centre’s chief executive, Professor Nikolaos Zampoglou, welcomed the committee’s interest but said some problems required immediate solutions.