State hospitals have exceeded their capacity due to flu, coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other respiratory illnesses, with some patients waiting over 24 hours in accident and emergency departments before transfer to wards.
The State Health Services Organisation is making ongoing special arrangements to manage the situation, authorities said.
State Health Services Organisation spokesman Charalambos Charilaou said the hospitals are not only dealing with seasonal infections but also many cases involving upper and lower respiratory illnesses, mainly in elderly patients whose stays are prolonged due to other health problems.
Charilaou explained the pressure facing hospitals: if a hospital has 130-140 beds for these cases but needs 150-160 beds, it faces enormous pressure. The challenge is managing all these cases, he said, adding that state hospitals cannot close their doors to any patient.
A&E departments are under great pressure, Charilaou said. Fast-track clinics are operating and handling large numbers of patients, relieving some pressure on emergency departments.
However, when a patient is deemed necessary for hospital admission, delays in transferring them to wards occur due to difficulties discharging patients, as cases remain hospitalised for considerable periods. These delays can reach or exceed 24 hours in some cases, he said.
Responding to nurses’ unions’ references to Parliament’s failure to approve the organisation’s 2026 budget, which would prevent hiring additional staff, Charilaou said staffing is not the issue at this moment. The problem is overcrowding in wards, he said, adding that budget approval would not solve the current problem.
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