Minister orders disciplinary inquiry into A&E doctor who mocked elderly patient

Health Minister Giorgos Pamboridis ordered a disciplinary inquiry against an A&E doctor at Nicosia general hospital who is heard on video being rude to an elderly man who went to the department complaining he had had a stroke.

In a statement, the minister said he had ordered an investigation against a doctor allegedly implicated in an incident regarding improper behaviour towards a patient and his family.

The minister urged patients visiting public hospitals to report any incident they felt insulted their dignity.

“Improper behaviour by any health ministry worker, irrespective of seniority, towards any citizen, won’t be tolerated because before anyone else, they insult the hundreds of health professionals who selflessly serve suffering citizens daily,” the minister said.

The incident, which was reported to daily Phileleftheros, took place last Thursday at 10pm.

An elderly man is seen on a partially-blurred video lying on a bed groaning, after coming in with his family reportedly with stroke symptoms.

Phileleftheros said the man lay there for around an hour without getting any attention. He starts to groan and the doctor arrives shortly afterwards and he is heard on the video being sarcastic, asking the relatives whether he was suffering from psychological or psychiatric problems.

He then makes a crude remark concerning the ailment, as the colloquial Greek term for it, kolpos, is identical with the word for vagina.

“Only women have kolpos,” he replied to the man’s wife, after she told him what her husband’s problem was.

Later on in the video, he is heard shouting at another patient, who apparently threatened to report him: “Report me anywhere you want, and if you want I will give you the minister’s number.”

The paper said patients had to wait for hours that day and many eventually gave up and went to private facilities since no one was paying attention to them.

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