Cyprus Mail - 8 July 2019 - article by staff reporter
State doctors’ union Pasyki will go ahead with a scheduled 24-hour strike in hospital accident and emergency departments (A&Es) on Tuesday.
Despite a meeting with Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou on Saturday with heads of A&E and representatives of the state health services organisation Okypy, which is now in charge of state hospitals, the union announced on Monday morning that the decisions stakeholders had taken to tackle the issue of understaffing were not enough and the strike would go ahead.
The remaining two state doctors’ unions Pasesi and Pasydy had been satisfied by the decisions, which included providing incentives to attract interest by public sector GPs who could, whenever they might wish to during their shift, deal with some cases to help decongest the A&Es.
Additionally, efforts would continue to fill vacant posts through the purchase of services by doctors, Ioannou had outlined.
Pasyki have said understaffing in A&E departments risks the health of both patients and staff and that the measures Okypy had put forth were inadequate to cover staff shortages.
