Understaffing could see hospital departments close

State doctors’ union Pasyki on Monday issued a warning about the daily risk of sudden closures of clinics and departments at the Famagusta, Larnaca and Paphos general hospitals “due to severe understaffing”.

The union said the “firefighting measures” implemented by management are causing more issues than they are solving, with the majority of health centres in a state of decline.

Pasyki questioned the logic behind Cyprus’ largest healthcare provider outsourcing tele-radiology services “when the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) rightly insists on the presence of a radiologist during radiological exams”.

The union also criticised the outsourcing of intensive care services due to a lack of foresight in planning, specifically deeming “inconceivable” the outsourcing of GP services for the Tseri health centre, likening it to an outpost clinic.

Pasyki further questioned the continuous calls for specialist doctors, which have not been met with any response.

“Is there no concern from management that the recruitment model has failed?” the union wondered. “Financial incentives within the national health scheme Gesy are insufficient compared to private sector work.

“Job security is lacking due to the bleak outlook for Gesy’s future. Working conditions in many clinics and departments are unacceptable, with no structure or clear prospects for advancement. There is no organisation, no framework, no long-term planning, and no management.”

The union stressed that it will continue to highlight the mismanagement of public hospitals by the state health service (Okypy) “until the state finally responds”.