According to this year’s Commission report, around 33% of healthcare professionals in Cyprus display indicators of potential severe depression, compared with just 3% in the general population. The gap highlights a more than tenfold difference between the wider public and those working on the front line of the health system.
The report draws on research by the WHO Regional Office for Europe on the mental health of nurses and doctors across the EU, Iceland and Norway. It does not refer to confirmed clinical diagnoses but to indicators of significant psychological strain affecting a large share of healthcare professionals in Cyprus.
The findings carry added weight given that they concern frontline staff, with the Commission warning of the need to improve their working conditions.
Pressure on the system
The report does not attribute the 33% figure to a single cause but places it within a broader context of pressure on the healthcare workforce. It notes that more structured strategic planning of health resources could help address imbalances and working conditions.
Staffing patterns reflect similar pressures. The report points to an almost one-to-one ratio between nurses and doctors, while Cyprus records among the lowest numbers of nurses per 1,000 inhabitants in the EU. At the same time, doctors are concentrated mainly in Nicosia and other large cities, leaving shortages in remote and less populated areas. It also notes that doctors are primarily employed in the private sector, while nurses are mainly in the public system.
In response, Cyprus is preparing a Capacity Master Plan aimed at introducing more systematic and coherent strategic planning. The plan will include an assessment of healthcare system capacity in both the national health system (GeSY) and the private sector, as well as an annual evaluation of health needs. The goal is to map human resources, infrastructure and equipment against future demand for healthcare services.
The report also highlights opportunities to upgrade skills among healthcare workers and the planned creation of a National Centre for Clinical Documentation and Quality Improvement, which is expected to enhance the availability of data on service quality.
For nurses, it points to campaigns promoting nursing as a career choice in 2024 and 2025, as well as Cyprus’ participation since January 2025 in the European ‘Nursing Action’ programme, coordinated by the WHO, aimed at attracting and retaining nursing staff.
