Okypy says public hospitals routinely take private-sector complication cases

Nicosia, Cyprus. The state health services organisation (Okypy) said on Friday that transferring patients with postoperative complications from private hospitals to public facilities is standard medical practice, responding to complaints by former health minister and Disy MP George Pamboridis.

Okypy said it had received two patients with complications from a private hospital at Limassol general hospital during the current week.

Case at Nicosia general hospital

Okypy spokesman Charalambos Charilaou said the patient referred to by Pamboridis had been receiving treatment at a private hospital before developing serious postoperative complications.

She was subsequently admitted to the accident and emergency department at Nicosia general hospital, he said.

Okypy denied that doctors had refused to provide the necessary medical care, stating that transferring her care to the general hospital had been assessed as the most appropriate option.

Discussions between hospitals

The organisation said the case was discussed the previous day by doctors at Nicosia general hospital and the private hospital, as well as Okypy officials.

It said the discussions established that, if the private hospital was unable to provide the required care and the patient’s condition could be handled more appropriately at Nicosia general hospital, the case should be transferred.

Okypy said public hospitals receive referrals of complex cases from private hospitals on a daily basis.

Hospital capacity

Okypy reiterated that hospitals performing specific procedures must have appropriate staffing and capacity to safely manage their cases and any complications that may reasonably arise.

It said the issue concerned the conditions under which specialised services were being provided, questioning how a top-tier private hospital could perform procedures but be unable to manage resulting complications.

Pamboridis had alleged that a woman with postoperative complications was refused admission to a private hospital’s emergency department because of a lack of beds before being transferred to Nicosia general hospital.