The Ministry of Health is running to fill the gaps caused by the lack of nurses in the staffing of hospitals, which prepared and put to public consultation a bill that modifies the ratios of nurses to beds in hospitals and at the same time strengthens the number of ward assistants.
The bill, entitled "The Private Hospitals (Control of Establishment and Operation) (Amendment) Law of 2026", specifically provides for the revision of the minimum ratios of nurses to patients in specific clinics/specialties with the Ministry of Health asking for the comments of the social partners.
What applies today
Existing legislation sets specific minimum ratios of nurses to patients for each shift. For example, in the surgical and pathology units, as well as in the geriatric and obstetrics/gynaecology units, the ratio is one nurse for every five patients during the morning shift, one for every six patients during the afternoon shift and one for every eight patients during the night shift.
In psychiatric centers, the ratio is set at one nurse for every six patients in all shifts, while in continuous peritoneal dialysis and artificial kidney units, one nurse is provided for every two machines in operation.
The proposed changes
With the bill, the proportions are differentiated upwards, allowing each nurse to take on a larger number of patients.
Specifically, for the surgical, pathological, geriatric, obstetric and gynaecological units, it is proposed that the ratio be set at one nurse for every six patients during the morning shift, one for every seven patients during the afternoon shift and one for every nine patients during the night shift.
For psychiatric centers, the ratio is increased from 1:6 to 1:7 in all shifts, while for artificial kidney and continuous peritoneal dialysis units, one nurse is recommended for every three machines in operation instead of the current two.
At the same time, the bill introduces a new provision according to which the doctor in charge of the hospital will be able to differentiate the ratio of nurses to patients, taking into account the severity of the hospitalized cases and within the framework set by the legislation.
Reinforcement of ward assistants
At the same time, an increase in the number of ward assistants is planned. Currently, for hospitalized patients up to six people, a ward assistant is not required, while for seven to fifteen patients one assistant is required, with an additional assistant for every 15 additional patients.
The proposed arrangement significantly increases staffing at this level, providing for one ward assistant for up to six patients, two assistants for seven to fifteen patients, and two additional assistants for every fifteen additional patients.
The amendments are part of a package of measures, which has been prepared and is expected to be announced soon by the Minister of Health himself.
With the completion of the process and the submission of the amendment to the Parliament, the bills that the new members of the parliamentary committee on Health will be called upon to consider immediately after taking office, there are three.
It is recalled, however, that the organized bodies representing nurses in Cyprus rejected the amendments to the legislation that have been pending in Parliament for about three months, while in all likelihood, reactions will also arise for the new proposal of the Ministry of Health.
The lack of nursing staff, however, as is well known, is one of the most important problems facing the health sector today, with private hospitals having warned several times to date with the closure of beds and the suspension of the operation of specific departments.
