Patients group says state doctors and hospital staff ‘doing whatever they want’
The patients’ association (Osak) on Friday described the treatment they receive from state hospital doctors ‘shameful’, a day after a house health committee heard that doctors’ behaviours were putting people’s lives in danger.
The association said doctors and staff were doing whatever they want at state hospitals without answering to anybody.
In a statement issued on Friday, Osak said at the house committee meeting on Thursday heard from the state health services (Okypy) operational chief Yiorgos Karotsakis, who said serious problems had arisen in the anaesthesiology departments at the Famagusta and Larnaca general hospitals.
According to Karotsakis, at Larnaca General there were issues with the head of the department, citing difficulties they have had in hiring new anaesthesiologists. The problems in cooperation between the anaesthesiologists in Larnaca have put patients’ lives in danger, Karotsakis told the committee.
Karotsakis said he requested the chief’s secondment to the department be terminated. However, he added an official investigating claims against the chief never contacted him for his opinion.
At Famagusta General, the department’s anaesthesiologists disappeared one day, necessitating the intervention of hospital head Amalia Hadjiyianni. Karotsakis said last Friday the anaesthesiologists left the hospital without warning, and an emergency arose necessitating their presence, but they were nowhere to be found.
Karotsakis said he was disappointed by the incidents and apologised to the president and government for failing to inform them earlier.
On Friday, Osak said none of the complaints heard at the meeting were denied.
“They [the complaints] point the finger doctors, who have abandoned their duties, doctors, who have got off work to leave the hospital without coverage,” Osak said in an announcement.
Also, they accused the medical unions of not taking notice of the complaints against the doctors, and instead “dreaming of the good old days”, all on the backs of the patients.
“Therefore, what trust can patients have in the public hospitals, taking into account everything that is going on?”
The association called on Okypy to immediately meet with their association to explain and to answer Osak’s questions on the situation.
Osak also called on the health ministry to investigate all the claims and complaints made about the situation in the hospitals.