Measures to alleviate nurse shortage announced

Initiatives to address the ongoing critical nurse shortage nationwide, particularly in private hospitals where staffing gaps reach hundreds of vacancies, were announced by the health ministry on Friday.

Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides announced the measures include incentives for young people to enter nursing schools, strengthening support staff availability as well as encouraging qualified nurses currently employed outside the sector to return.

Furthermore, he intends to resubmit amendments to allow recruitment of foreign nurses under strict conditions, and “adjusting nurse-to-bed ratios in private hospitals without compromising patient safety”.

Charalambides acknowledged that the problem cannot be fully resolved without legislative amendments, citing studies that identified a shortfall of 580 nurses.

This figure includes hospital requirements, and new rehabilitation centres, but excludes additional demand from palliative care and home nursing services.

European reports highlight a structural imbalance in Cyprus’ healthcare workforce, with the nurse-to-doctor ratio is near 1:1, far below the EU average of over 2.5 nurses per doctor.

OECD data similarly estimate four to five nurses per 1,000 inhabitants in Cyprus, compared with an EU average of eight to nine.

Legislative efforts to allow the controlled recruitment of foreign nurses have been stalled.

Proposed amendments included a ten per cent cap per facility, Greek language proficiency requirements, and limits on senior roles, while removing the postgraduate qualification requirement for certain foreign nurses.

Union opposition blocked consensus at the House health committee, effectively pausing the bill until the next parliamentary term after June.

Private hospital representatives warned that the delay is affecting operations.

Unions and nursing organisations maintain that foreign recruitment alone cannot resolve the shortage.

The nurses branch of Pasydy said “low pay, excessive workloads and adverse working conditions remain the primary drivers” of the shortage while nursing students called for investment in domestic training.

The public sector is also affected, with hospitals under the national health system reporting shortages exceeding 400 nurses.

Private hospitals are implementing measures such as reducing bed capacity or postponing procedures to comply with staffing requirements.