Paphos General Hospital is still treating patients but no visitors are currently being permitted to visit inpatients, according to officials.
“We are trying to ensure that fewer people are attending the hospital and so visitors are not being permitted to visit inpatients at the moment due to the coronavirus,” director of the hospital Spyros Georgiou told the Cyprus Mail on Tuesday.
However, no cases of coronavirus in connection with Paphos general hospital have been reported so far, he was quick to reassure, but all precautionary measures are being taken and the hospital is being guided by the ministry of health, he added.
Outpatients with appointments are still being seen and operations are still being carried out at the facility, he said.
“We will see if this will continue in the near future and we will follow the advice of the ministry of health, but at present, we are continuing with our work as usual.”
Hospital wards at the facility have an entry code system in place to unlock the door, which can be used from both sides, and doors are usually left wide open for visiting hours. This procedure can often be lax and in the past, visitors have mostly been able to drop in on patients almost all day long.
These doors will now remain closed until further notice.
A doctor at the facility said that people should only attend accident and emergency in urgent cases and that vulnerable patients are being advised to take extra care.
“Patients such as those receiving haemodialysis are at a greater risk than others from the coronavirus and we are asking them to protect themselves. There is no problem in Paphos or at Paphos general hospital reported as yet, but we are taking precautions. From today we are not allowing visitors until further notice and only those who urgently need to come to the hospital should attend,” he said.
According to visitors attempting to visit inpatients at Paphos general hospital on Tuesday, no warnings were given of the move, nor any notices placed on the hospital doors which were shut.
“My friend’s husband is in ICU at Paphos general hospital and critically ill. His daughters are here from the UK and wanted to see him before they travel tomorrow as he may not survive and they wanted to say their goodbyes, but when they called the ward sister this morning to see how he is, they were told that the hospital is closed for visitors. They are very upset,” Paphos resident Adrienne Angel told the Cyprus Mail.
Another distraught resident said: “My husband is on one of the wards and I need to take him some of his things, but they won’t let me go in.”
“I don’t know when I will next be able to see him and he doesn’t have his phone with him so I can’t speak to him.”
