A patient with breathing difficulties was discharged from hospital despite being in poor condition, returned by ambulance, and died.
That case is one of 48 complaints received in January by the Patient Rights Observatory of the Federation of Patient Associations of Cyprus (CyFPA/OSAK) — and the federation says even that figure may not capture the full scale of the problem.
“Even if only half of what was recorded at the Observatory last month fully reflects reality, we have a serious problem,” spokesman Demetris Lambrianides said.
Twenty of the 48 complaints concerned the management and treatment of patients in inpatient care. They span both public and private sector hospitals, within and outside the General Health System (GHS).
Among the cases: an elderly woman discharged by taxi to a shelter died hours later; a child who received no antibiotics after a dog bite developed a serious infection, faced prolonged hospitalisation, disfigurement, and the risk of serious complications.
“The problem does not involve just one or two hospitals,” Lambrianides said, “but a number of hospitals and healthcare professionals working in both the public and private sectors.”
Three deaths, one hospital
The OSAK findings come as Larnaca General Hospital faces three separate complaints over patient deaths — each raising questions about the standard of care provided.
The first was filed roughly two weeks ago by the family of a 42-year-old woman who died during hospitalisation following a routine surgical procedure.
The second concerned inadequate care that led to the death of a 72-year-old.
The third, which came to light only yesterday, concerned the circumstances surrounding the death of a 91-year-old.
An emergency meeting was held at the hospital yesterday, chaired by the SHSO executive director, during which healthcare professionals asked the organisation for its protection, according to information available to Phileleftheros. The investigating officer’s report into the first case has been delivered, is being reviewed by SHSO’s legal department, and will be passed to police, who are also investigating. Some of the family’s claims appear to be confirmed; others could not be verified from the material placed before the investigating officer.
OSAK called for an independent investigator to examine conditions and staffing at the hospital. The inquiry must happen “without any delay whatsoever, so as not to further erode patient confidence in SHSO hospitals, especially in Larnaca,” Lambrianides said.
The Pancyprian Government Doctors’ Union also called for a thorough investigation, saying responsibility should be attributed only “if and where it is established.”
What the 20 complaints showed
The most serious inpatient cases recorded by the Observatory included the mishandling of an emergency bleeding episode in a patient with haemophilia, delayed by bureaucracy; the dog-bite case involving a child who received no antibiotics, leading to serious infection and prolonged hospitalisation; mismanagement of a swallowed foreign-body case with delayed diagnosis; and delays in surgical repair following a road accident.
Other complaints covered the interruption of psychiatric medication without consulting the treating doctor, leading to deterioration and aspiration; the administration of multiple psychiatric drugs without clear justification; the transfer of a patient restrained and without medical documentation; the development of a pressure sore in an ICU patient who was not adequately monitored; inappropriate feeding carrying a risk of aspiration; and inadequate care of bedsores.
In three cases, people had to approach more than one hospital before receiving the care they or a family member needed. Some complaints raised the possibility of medical negligence, including one involving a private hospital where a patient reported serious post-operative complications resulting in significant loss of mobility.
In several cases involving elderly patients, relatives reported premature discharges, refusals to admit for inpatient care, delays in critical interventions, and deterioration that led to death. OSAK said it has approached the relevant authorities for answers in each case, but responses have often been unsatisfactory. In other cases, complainants declined to file formal named complaints, making full investigation impossible.
Demands for action
OSAK is directing its demands at four bodies: SHSO , private providers, the Health Insurance Organisation (HIO), and the Ministry of Health. The federation described GHS as a system facing no financial constraints and said the quality of care within it must reflect that.
The HIO, OSAK said, must take immediate action — both to correct existing distortions and to adopt new policies aimed at protecting patients. The Ministry of Health, which has held supervisory responsibility for GHS since spring 2025, must exercise that role in practice. All investigative bodies — HIO, SHSO, the Ministry, and police — should move quickly on each case and publish their findings.
The federation also renewed its call for the swift completion of legislation regulating all hospitals in Cyprus, public and private, with provisions guaranteeing service quality.
“It is not possible, in a country that records some of the lowest rates of unmet healthcare needs and operates a system capable of ensuring universal access to health services, for the protection and oversight mechanisms to not function effectively,” OSAK said.