Injuries account for most hospital treatments

INJURY and poisonings accounted for the biggest share of inpatients at general hospitals in Cyprus in 2003, according to a report by the Statistical Service released yesterday.

During 2003, 56,850 patients were admitted for treatment and discharged from the general hospitals, compared with 55,142 in 2002, an increase of 3.1 per cent.

The category ‘injury, poisonings and certain other consequences of external causes’ had the highest share (16.1 per cent) of in-patients, followed by diseases of the circulatory system (10.7 per cent), the digestive system (10.2 per cent) and the respiratory system (10.1 per cent).

Surgical operations performed on in-patients showed an increase of 1.5 per cent over the previous year, reaching 20,459.

Operations on the digestive system accounted for 23.1 per cent of all operations performed on in-patients, compared with 8.4 per cent on the nose, mouth and pharynx.

Out-patient attendances increased by 5.9 per cent over the previous year, reaching 1,373,317 of which 31.6 per cent represented attendances at rural hospitals and health centres.

Diseases of the respiratory and circulatory system were the main disease categories diagnosed in out-patients.

During 2003, a total of 344,163 patients visited the casualty departments of the general hospitals, an increase of 6.6 per cent over the previous year.

Expenditure by the health services during 2003 is estimated at £426.5 million, of which £215.4 was on the public sector and £211.1 million on the private sector. The share of expenditure as a percentage to GDP reached 6.3 per cent in 2003, compared with 5.9 per cent in 2002 and 5.3 per cent back in 1998.

Using available date from both the public and private sectors, there were 384 persons per doctor, compared with 381 in 2002 and 483 in 1990.

There were 235 persons per nurse and 234 persons per hospital bed.

Life expectancy at birth for the period 2002-2003 was 77 years for men and 81.4 years for women.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.