With the numbers already recorded and the Parliament having clarified its position that it is not going to deal with the problem of the shortage of nurses before the parliamentary elections, the Ministry of Health is looking for solutions that may help somehow in managing the gap that exists in the staffing of the private sector, but most importantly to pave the way for the practical implementation of legislation that was recently passed but is currently almost impossible to implement, with all that this entails for Cypriot patients.
The Minister of Health informed the private sector, during the meeting on Tuesday, about five actions that he is promoting, clarifying, however, that in any case, in essence, the problem cannot be addressed if the Parliament does not proceed with the adoption of specific amendments to relevant legislation. The only fact in the hands of the Minister are the findings of the capacity and needs recording study, of the well-known capacity plan, which show that the problem is real.
From this study, as we are informed, a shortage of 580 nurses has emerged. This number includes, in addition to the known needs of hospitals, the expected retirements, etc. and the needs for the operation of the new rehabilitation centers. However, the needs for nursing staff arising from the laws concerning palliative care services and home care of patients are not included. For this reason, the Ministry of Health is currently proceeding with a new calculation.
The findings for Cyprus from the relevant European reports are also a given for the Ministry of Health.
The "Health Profile: Cyprus 2025", points out that Cyprus has a high number of doctors, but a comparatively low number of nurses, with a ratio significantly lower than the EU average, "which indicates an imbalance in the composition of the health workforce". Specifically, the ratio of nurses to doctors is close to 1:1, in contrast to the European average of more than 2.5 nurses per doctor. In addition, and according to relevant OECD reports, in Cyprus while the availability of doctors is particularly high (about 5.2 per 1,000 inhabitants), the availability of nurses is estimated at around 4–5 per 1,000 inhabitants, which is significantly lower than the EU average (about 8–9 per 1,000).
Health caregivers and incentives for "inactive" nurses
During his presence at the meeting of private sector providers the day before yesterday, the Minister of Health, Neophytos Charalambidis, as we are informed, assured that his Ministry is promoting five specific actions:
>> Providing incentives to young people to choose nursing schools for their studies (a similar measure was implemented 20 years ago when again in Cyprus there was a significant shortage of nurses).
>> Strengthening the availability of support staff. It is recalled that a formal agreement between the state and public sector trade unionists includes the recruitment of health caregivers and their distribution in proportion to the various departments and clinics. This measure is now being promoted for the private sector as well.
>> Providing incentives for the return of people who have the nursing qualifications but are employed in other sectors of the economy.
>> Re-submission to the Parliament of the amendments concerning the attraction of nurses from third countries. The private individuals requested consultation with the Minister, expressing their disagreement with specific points of the proposal that Neophytos Charalambidis had submitted to the Parliament after consultation with the bodies representing the nurses.
>> Study and preparation of an amendment to the law on private hospitals through which the ratio of nurses/beds for specific departments will be changed and where the safety of patients will not be affected.
On the part of the representatives of the private sector, a proposal was also put forward for the return of nurses seconded to other departments and services, either of the Ministry of Health or public hospitals, to the clinical area. The Minister, according to information, although he did not give a clear promise on this matter, said he was ready to investigate whether such a place would help manage the problem.
In any case, the campaign of the Ministry of Health to attract new students continues. The campaign that began about two years ago has already yielded significant results.
The pending master's degree
It is recalled that a bill is still pending that abolishes the obligation of foreign nurses, graduates of Cypriot nursing schools, to secure a master's degree in order to be able to be employed in Cyprus. This amendment is the only one that the bodies representing nurses have agreed to.
