THE HEAD of Limassol Hospital insisted yesterday that no one should question the medical competence of its doctors
Public health specialist, Dr. Andreas Petevis, who heads the district hospital, was replying to the recent barrage of criticism directed at the hospital and its doctors.
“There are well-known problems at the hospital,” he admitted, “such as the facts that there are not enough beds for all the patients, that there should be more medical facilities and that we do not have all the medical equipment we need.
“But this is nothing surprising, since it has been presented time and time again on the news.”
As for his staff’s medical attention, he said, it could not be faulted and was at the level of what is expected of any doctor.
However, Health Minister Frixos Savvides yesterday questioned doctors’ attitudes towards patients and their relatives.
“Doctors are trying to avoid responsibility for their inhumane behaviour, which is the biggest problem we are facing at the moment,” he said, pointing out that it didn’t take much just to be human to people and their relatives.
Petevis was quick to answer that there were two sides to every coin.
“If, when you say attitude and behaviour, you are talking about the odd heated conversation between a doctor and patient/relative, you have to look at the whole picture,” he said.
“I do not condone doctors raising their voices, but it can happen. If a patient or relative is being very difficult and demanding, and you’re trying to explain certain rules and regulations to that person but they refuse to understand and be reasonable, then you might raise your voice slightly. It’s only human and normal,” he said, “particularly if you’ve worked a really long and hectic shift. I definitely don’t accept such behaviour, but I think people should not be so quick to judge doctors and should show some element of understanding.”
Petevis said he believed Limassol hospital was a good one and that it offered the best service and facilities possible within its capabilities.
“That’s not to say we haven’t requested that its facilities be upgraded and expanded,” he said, “but you will most certainly not die if you are admitted here, as has been portrayed in the press at the moment”.
He said the media had misconstrued things and given the public a false impression of the hospital.
“You cannot take things out of context,” Petevis said, “which is what has been happening. I heard our hospital likened to a cemetery. That is completely false and misleading. You do not die when you come to Limassol hospital. We may not be able to provide immediate neurosurgery if you need it, but we do offer a whole host of other facilities that meet the public’s needs. Besides, if we are unable to deal with a particular case, we arrange to have the patient transferred to Nicosia.”
In fact, he said, the hospital was currently lobbying to open its neurosurgery, oncology, radiotherapy and cardiology wards so that in future patients would not have to be transferred to the capital.
But, DIKO deputy Marios Matsakis believes that the government is deliberately avoiding upgrading the hospital to protect the interests of private clinics and that Limassol’s hospital has the worst emergency waiting queues on the island.
Petevis was not willing to comment on the outspoken deputy’s allegations and refused to compare his hospital to other state hospitals for fear of undermining them and their doctors. He said: “I can’t say whether or not this is the worst state hospital on the island, but I can say that we offer satisfactory service according to our capabilities.”
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.
