Cyprus, Nicosia

Hospitals in Cyprus are laying off experienced nurses, replacing them with newly graduated, inexperienced staff for economic reasons

08.07.2025 / 11:56
News Category
Photo from cypruscentralhospital.com

At a meeting of the parliamentary Human Rights Committee, alarming statements were made regarding the declining quality of healthcare services in Greece’s National Health System hospitals. The problems do not stem from equipment or infrastructure, but primarily from a lack of qualified personnel, especially nurses. Committee chairperson Irene Charalambidou noted that in one private clinic operating under the national health system, experienced nurses were dismissed and replaced with inexperienced ones to cut costs. However, the lack of professionalism negatively affects patients. For instance, during an operation, a patient overheard nurses loudly discussing a missing drug and deciding to substitute it with another. In another case, a patient suffering from severe pain did not receive help until a doctor intervened and sent in a qualified nurse. These examples were raised during a discussion on the euthanasia bill, which many believe cannot be implemented without first passing a palliative care law. The question was raised: where can qualified staff be found to care for terminally ill patients?

Cypriot Health Minister Michalis Damianos acknowledged that there is a severe shortage of nurses — recently, the deficit stood at 570. To address this, the Ministry of Health launched an information campaign, which resulted in increased enrollment in nursing programs. He stressed that there are no unemployed nurses in Cyprus — graduates immediately find jobs in hospitals. However, the issue remains.

The minister outlined two solutions: training more local professionals or recruiting foreign nurses. The latter faces resistance from trade unions. Negotiations are ongoing to establish conditions and criteria for accepting foreign nurses, including qualification verification and Greek language proficiency. However, union resistance is making the process extremely difficult.

Damianos emphasized that quality care should not suffer due to staffing shortages. He expressed concern about society’s unrealistic expectations: “If you want a thousand experienced Greek-speaking 50-year-old nurses — that’s unrealistic.” As an alternative, he suggested deploying trained caregivers for basic tasks, allowing nurses to focus on more complex duties. Training programs are currently underway for caregivers to support medical staff with routine work.

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