‘We’re so busy, we can’t see patients for two months after we’ve operated on them’
OVER A THOUSAND children are on an 18-month waiting list to see a child neurologist, state doctors said yesterday.
They also said that patients were unable to receive an appointment for up to two months after they’d had an operation and have been known to give blood samples up to five times because on most occasions the original samples are lost or misplaced.
The doctors said they had decided to go public over the chaotic situation at the new Nicosia General Hospital and the massive problems they are facing.
They said problems exist on every level of the organisation and listed understaffing, computer problems and organisational issues among their difficulties.
The Governing Board of the Cypriot Union of State Doctors (PASYKI) outlined many of the ongoing difficulties that doctors and staff at the Hospital were continuously having to put up with.
While not directly saying patients’ lives were at risk, the President of the Union Stavros Stavrou detailed the weaknesses, shortcomings and problems at the Hospital adding that the situation was not being portrayed accurately by the government.
“We have held this press conference to explain to the public the exact problems we are experiencing. People have been exaggerating and saying that everything at the Hospital is working perfectly,” he said in a news conference yesterday.
Staff shortages were noted in nearly every department of the hospital as well as the problems with appointments that existed due to the fact that the system of appointments had not been computerised.
“After an operation, a doctor does not have the possibility to see his patient in the next few days. He could even have to wait up to two months before he can have an appointment. This is because the system of appointments is not automated at the moment,” Stavrou added.
Another problem that was cited by the Doctors Union regarded tests. According to the doctors, patients may have to give samples up to five times because on most occasions the original samples are lost or misplaced.
The Health Minister Charis Charalambous admitted that the issues brought up by the doctors did take place.
“These problems do exist. At this stage we are trying to solve the problem and are in contact with embassies to locate specialised doctors from abroad to come and work in Cyprus so that some of the issues are solved,” he said.
At the moment, PASYKI have said that due to this lack of specialised doctors, the hospitals were being held to ransom by the private sector.
“As we do not have specialised doctors to deal with some cases, we are forced to ‘buy their services’ from the private sector at higher prices. We have cases where some businessmen from the private sector are offering contracts to the government reaching the sum of £100,000,” the Union announced at the press conference.
Health Minister Charalambous did say that something positive could be taken from the comments made at yesterday’s news conference.
“There was no mention of the problems of patients. After my three-day visit at the Hospital, everything regarding patient service is going smoothly. Now we have to deal with staff shortages as well as the lack of machinery. Things are already moving towards solving the problems,” the minister said yesterday.
The Health Minister undertook a three-day visit to the Hospital last month in a drastic bid to view the situation at the new General Hospital in Latsia first hand. After his visit, Charalambous had outlined a series of 18 points that needed addressing in order to ensure the smooth running of the hospital.
Charalambous also announced yesterday that the Cardiological Department of the Limassol General Hospital should be back in working order after Doctor Vassilis Courides responded positively to the Health Minister’s proposal and will begin carrying out angiograms.
Stavrou claimed that the reason Doctor Courides had felt insecure was “a result of the way things worked in the health service, with doctors afraid something may backfire due to the problems that exist”.
