Nursing staff stretched to the limit at Nicosia General

NURSES yesterday claimed they were being overworked at the Nicosia General Hospital due to a lack of staff, according to nursing manager Thalia Patsia who was speaking at an event yesterday to mark International Nurses Day.

“The workload at the Nicosia General Hospital has increased due to a large influx of people because of the economic crisis,” said Patsia stressing that more staff are needed to make up for this.  Patsia suggested that people might be turning to public healthcare as opposed to private because of the economic crisis.

Nonetheless Patsia reassured the public that despite the lack of staff the level of service had not gone down even though nursing staff were overexerting themselves to keep up with the workload, and also working overtime to achieve this. “Quite a few times they even have to work overtime and we try as much as possible to cover patients’ needs with existing staff,” said Patsia.

Manager of Nursing Services Andreas Xenofontos said that procedures were already in motion to hire more staff, assuring that 180 people already had been made permanent.

“The distribution [of staff] will be according to each hospital’s needs,” said Xenofontos adding that there were a further 24 vacant positions. First however, the list of temporary staff must be updated and the positions publicised in the Government Gazette before they can be filled, he said.

In addition 19 people will be brought over from the private sector. According to Xenofontos they will be distributed between all the hospitals.

Ioannis Leontiou, president of the Pancyprian Association of Nurses and Midwives said Cyprus had not had any cuts made in the health sector, whereas in other EU countries, hospital units had been closed, nurses have been sacked and staff have had to take pay cuts.

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