The discussion that followed the presentation of the European Parliament report on the healthcare workforce crisis gave the problem a distinctly Cypriot face. The figures in the report may be EU-wide, but the testimony offered during the debate made clear that Cyprus is living this crisis, not merely observing it.
Christoforos Tembriotis of the Cyprus Nurses and Midwives Union (PASYKNO) said that approximately 1,000 to 1,500 nurses had left the profession in Cyprus over the last decade. He drew particular attention to the question of nurse-to-bed ratios, arguing that such ratios cannot exist only on paper. He also flagged the problem of nurses who acquire specialist training and are subsequently transferred to other departments, effectively wasting the expertise that was built up.
The same issue was raised by Emily Groutidou of the Pan-Cyprian Association of Kidney Patients, who noted that nurses with nephrology specialisations are being moved elsewhere, leaving gaps in one of the most demanding areas of patient care.
Petros Agathangelos, president of the Cyprus Medical Association, pointed to the need for incentives to retain doctors and nurses on the island. Michalis Kazamias, representing the Cyprus Workers' Confederation (SEK), brought social benefits, scholarships and even rent subsidies for nursing students into the conversation. Miltos Miltiadous of OSAK highlighted the financial pressure families face when a shortage of nurses blocks the implementation of legislation on rehabilitation services and prevents those services from being integrated into the General Health System (GeSY).
Former EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou attended the event and welcomed the initiative, but was clear-eyed about what it will take to make a difference. Addressing the crisis, she said, requires considerably more than a report. It requires political will. The report's rapporteur, MEP Loucas Fourlas, echoed that sentiment, returning to the argument that runs through his entire report: to protect patients, those who care for them must first be protected.
