Larnaca MPs intend to raise the crisis at their city's General Hospital before the House Health Committee, following ongoing problems caused by ward overcrowding and a shortage of nurses. The hospital's problems resurfaced during the nurses' work stoppage held last Wednesday (16/9).
AKEL Larnaca MP Andreas Pasiourtides described the situation at Larnaca General Hospital as extremely difficult, noting that his party's district committee has already requested a meeting with the management of the State Health Services Organisation (OKYpY) to discuss the problems, while the district's MPs intend to have the issue placed on the agenda of the relevant parliamentary committee as soon as possible.
Pasiourtides told our newspaper that he had only recently been informed that, at Larnaca Hospital's Accident and Emergency Department, more than 20 patients had been medically examined and assessed as needing admission to various wards of the hospital for treatment in recent days alone. However, because no beds were available in the wards, nurses in the Emergency Department were forced to provide nursing care to these patients, who were left with no choice but to remain in A&E beds, even though under normal circumstances they should have been receiving treatment in the appropriate wards.
The Larnaca MP made particular reference to the problems facing the hospital's Pathology Department. According to him, at least five more beds need to be opened urgently in that department to meet patient needs, given how great the demand is. For the new beds to operate, however, the Pathology Department would need to be staffed with additional nursing personnel, since, he said, it is impossible to service new beds with the existing staff.
Pasiourtides said the need to hire nursing staff at the city's hospital will be raised at the upcoming meeting between AKEL Larnaca's district committee and OKYpY's management. "If we find that, even after the meeting with OKYpY, the problem is not resolved, then we will have no choice but to go to parliament. The current situation at Larnaca Hospital is very difficult, nurses have already reached their limits, and this poses serious risks to patients' health," he said.
