Nurses’ union Pasyno has given the government two weeks to find solutions to protect hospital personnel after a drunken man attacked staff and patients and damaged property at the Limassol A&E department on Monday, it announced on Tuesday.
The union’s board convened to discuss whether to take measures following the arrest on Monday of its general secretary Panayiotis Georgiou for allegedly causing a disturbance and swearing at police in connection with the violent incident.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, Pasyno said that as a sign of goodwill it would give the government two weeks. If there are no positive results, the union said, it will ask its members not to treat anyone who exhibits violent behaviour towards them.
The incident caused tension between the police and the union as the former say Georgiou was arrested for good reason, while the latter say it was not the first time nurses have been attacked by patients, while police officers should be present at A&E departments.
Georgiou was arrested Monday morning and was charged for causing a disturbance and swearing at police, after he had a heated exchange with police officers over the violent attack against nurses and patients by a 28-year-old intoxicated man who had gone to A&E. The 28-year-old had also damaged property before he was held down by a nurse. After calming down and apologising, he was treated and released.
According to police spokesman Andreas Angelides, Georgiou, who had asked to be informed about the incident by officers, was arrested after allegedly causing a disturbance and swearing at a police officer. Georgiou, who was released at around noon on the same day, said he had been on the receiving end of a verbal assault by the policeman, to which he responded, only to be informed he was under arrest.
Pasyno spokesman Theodoros Petelis told state broadcaster CyBC that when the officer on duty at Limassol hospital was called to address the violent incident in question, he did not present at A&E.
He said unless there was another incident, the officer was duty bound to respond to the A&E incident but he hadn’t.
The head of the nurses’ branch of the civil servants’ union Pasydy, Prodromos Argyrides, said violent incidents in A&Es are not uncommon. He added that his union has repeatedly asked for a meeting with the justice and health ministers to discuss security in A&Es but it is yet to receive a reply.
The Limassol police chief was to also visit the town’s general hospital to inspect current policing arrangements.
Police spokesman Andreas Angelides told CyBC that the incident will be investigated. He rejected however Pasyno’s claims that Georgiou was arrested for no reason.
