The State Health Services Organisation (OKYPY) has rejected claims that Nicosia General Hospital refused to provide necessary care to a woman suffering from serious post-operative complications.
It said hospital specialists assessed the patient and concluded that, provided it was medically safe, treatment should continue at the private hospital and under the medical team that had performed the operations.
Response to Pamboridis complaint
The statement follows a public complaint by former Health Minister and current DISY MP George Pamboridis concerning a woman who was allegedly refused hospital treatment after developing complications following a series of operations at a private hospital.
The complaint also raised questions over whether the Accident and Emergency Department at Nicosia General Hospital had declined to admit the patient.
OKYPY stressed that public hospitals, particularly Nicosia General, which it described as the only quaternary hospital within the General Healthcare System (Gesy), do not refuse necessary care to any patient, regardless of the complexity or severity of their condition.
“The organisation’s mission is to provide timely and effective healthcare to those who need it, with patient safety and human life as its priorities,” it said.
Transfers from private hospitals described as common
According to OKYPY, public hospitals frequently take over patients suffering from post-operative or other complications arising in the private sector.
It said that during the current week alone, two patients with complications were transferred from a private hospital operating within Gesy to Limassol General Hospital, where they were admitted and are receiving the necessary treatment.
In the case at the centre of the dispute, the woman had undergone several operations at a private hospital before developing serious post-operative complications and attending Nicosia General Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department.
OKYPY said the hospital’s specialists did not refuse to provide the necessary medical care. During their assessment, they advised that, if medically feasible and safe, the patient should continue receiving treatment at the hospital where the operations had been performed.
It said this was considered the most appropriate approach for continuity of care, as the private hospital and its medical team had direct knowledge of the patient’s history and previous procedures.
Case discussed in teleconference
The case was discussed during a teleconference on Thursday involving doctors from Nicosia General Hospital, representatives of the private hospital and officials from the Health Insurance Organisation.
OKYPY reiterated that hospitals performing particular procedures must have the appropriate infrastructure, staffing and capacity to manage both the patients they accept and any complications that could reasonably arise.
These requirements, it said, form part of the quality and safety standards governing inpatient care within Gesy.
The organisation added that if the private hospital had genuinely been unable to provide the required treatment and the patient’s condition had demanded intervention from Nicosia General Hospital, the case would have been accepted.
“This is what happens daily with serious and complex cases referred to public hospitals,” it said.
Support for complex private-sector cases
Doctors working in public hospitals regularly assist with complex cases arising in the private sector, according to the organisation.
As an example, OKYPY said infectious disease specialists at public hospitals remain available around the clock to offer scientific support to private hospitals when required.
The organisation said the incident raised broader questions about the conditions under which specialised services are provided by hospitals operating within Gesy.
It questioned how a Category A1 hospital could perform surgical procedures but be unable to manage complications that might result from them.
OKYPY concluded that public hospitals remain the health system’s safety net and central pillar and would continue caring for every patient who requires their services, prioritising safety, quality of care and the protection of human life.
