Health minister seeks urgent proposals to tackle nurse shortage

Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides has given stakeholders one week to submit proposals to address the shortage of nurses, with a follow-up meeting scheduled in a month to assess recommendations and agree on immediate measures.

Speaking during a visit to Limassol general hospital on Monday, Charalambides said the meeting would evaluate submissions from all involved bodies with the aim of “producing solutions that are both rapid and broadly accepted”.

He described the nursing shortage as “a global phenomenon”, and although insisting that nursing student numbers in Cyprus have in fact risen by 85 per cent over the past three years, he conceded that existing incentives remain insufficient.

The minister said his broader objective is to implement smaller, practical improvements affecting patients and staff within the first quarter of 2026.

The initiative follows mounting criticism from nursing and midwifery unions, who reject claims that staff shortages alone are responsible for recent service disruptions, including the threatened suspension of a clinic’s operating licence.

Unions Pasynm, Peo and Pasydy argue the crisis stems from management failures and inadequate planning rather than a lack of available nurses.

They say it remains unclear whether reported shortages relate to new facilities or expansions of existing ones, warning that a rapid increase in hospital beds under the national health service has not been matched by workforce planning.

According to the unions, the result has been longer waiting lists, postponed procedures and frequent reliance on sick leave, which they cite as signs of systemic strain.

Tensions escalated after the health ministry issued a notice in November to a private hospital in Nicosia, citing insufficient nursing cover in two departments, including the absence of a night shift nurse on a medical ward and a shortfall of six nurses in surgery.

The hospital was given 15 days to respond to the proposed licence suspension.

Unions have also opposed proposals from employer groups to recruit nurses from third countries, raising concerns over pay, working conditions, language proficiency and patient safety.

They argue that recruitment and retention problems are closely tied to salaries and employment terms and point to ongoing staff movement between public and private hospitals rather than a sudden collapse in staffing levels.

Official figures show 157 vacant nursing posts in state hospitals, alongside 153 nurses currently on sick or maternity leave.

Union representatives have warned that failure to resolve planning and staffing issues could lead to industrial action.