Minister faints at church service

JUSTICE Minister Kypros Chrysostomides passed out during a memorial service at Apostolos Andreas Church in Polis Chrysochous on Sunday.

Minutes before the liturgy ended and the priest had time to commemorate National Guard sergeant major Antonis Rossides, who was killed during a training exercise, the minister felt unwell and lost consciousness. Panic instantly broke out and the service was temporarily suspended.

Polis Chrysochous hospital director Dr Spyros Georgiou, who had been attending the service, immediately administered first aid. From there, Chrysostomides was rushed to Paphos general hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.

Cardiologists Iosif Moutiris and Petros Mavromatis, the head of Paphos hospital’s Cardiology Clinic, were called to the hospital, where they carried out a number of tests on Chrysostomides. The results determined the minister’s fainting spell had had nothing to do with his heart. Nevertheless, Chrysostomides remained in the ICU for around two hours, while all the necessary tests were carried out.

Paphos hospital director Fylaktis Constantinides said the minister had fainted due to low blood pressure. His ICU treatment had been deemed necessary until all the necessary tests were carried out. Moutiris said ordinary citizens were administered the same treatment, while Mavromatis said Chrysostomides’ loss of consciousness could happen to anyone who was in a hot environment and standing upright for quite some time.

Reports said the Apostolos Andreas Church was suffocatingly hot on Sunday due to the masses of people who had showed up for the memorial service. The church was also overheated due to a problem with the air conditioners.

Chrysostomides was released from hospital at around noon and he returned to Nicosia. During his time in hospital, he was visited by Paphos mayor Savvas Vergas, AKEL deputy Andreas Fakondis, deputy police chief Michalakis Papageorgiou and political party representatives.

Health Minister Christos Patsalides was also kept informed regarding the minister’s health updates, reports said.

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