Today's meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Health ended without substantial progress in the examination of government amendments for the employment of nurses from third countries.
Despite the warnings of the hospitals and their public positions on the closure of hospital beds and postponements of surgeries due to understaffing, the discussion was limited to the positions of the Ministry of Health and the unions, with the representatives of the hospitals being referred to the next meeting.
The Government insists that the employment of nurses from third countries is a temporary "bridge solution", until the measures to attract young people to the profession are effective. The unions, however, reiterated their opposition, arguing that the proposed regulations do not address the real causes of staff shortages.
According to the government proposal, nurses from third countries will be able to cover up to 10% of the nursing and midwifery staff of each hospital, they will have to have the required qualifications and, as a rule, two years of professional experience, while they will not be able to take on the duties of shift manager. The license to practice the profession will have a duration of two years.
A point of intense disagreement was the knowledge of the Greek language. The Ministry proposes upgrading the requirement from elementary to moderate knowledge, with PASYNO asking for level C1, arguing that proper communication and recording of information are directly related to patient safety.
SEK, PEO, PASYNO and PASYDY focused on working conditions in the private sector, with references to violations of working hours, problems in earnings and complaints of intimidation of employees. The unions insist on the establishment of collective agreements, warning that the import of staff from third countries, without improving working conditions, may create new problems.
During the discussion, concerns were also expressed about the risk of Cyprus turning into an intermediate station for nurses from third countries, who may then seek employment in other European states.
On behalf of the Ministry of Health, the measures to attract young people to the profession were presented, including the annual campaign of €120,000, the financial support of nursing students, the exploration of scholarships and the promotion of the institution of caregivers.
The debate remains open, with the Health Committee planning to hear the side of the hospitals at a next meeting, before proceeding with the substantive examination of the government proposals.
