The Pancyprian Public Servants’ Trade Union (PASYDY) has raised alarm over staffing shortages preventing the operation of a new addiction treatment unit at Cyprus’s recently expanded psychiatric hospital.
The union’s Mental Health Services branch said in a statement that whilst it welcomed the completion of the first phase of the New Athalassa Psychiatric Hospital, including two gender-segregated admission wards, the attached therapeutic unit for addictions cannot function due to a lack of specialised mental health nurses.
PASYDY expressed satisfaction with the hospital expansion, calling it “an important step that will contribute to the upgrading of services provided to individuals with mental health issues, as well as improved working conditions for staff”.
However, the union claims it had forewarned the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO) about potential staffing issues in meetings held in April and May 2024, but no action was taken.
“It is imperative to address the issue of staffing with sufficient and specialised personnel to ensure the smooth operation of the new Psychiatric Hospital and the provision of high-quality mental health services to citizens of the Republic of Cyprus,” the statement added.
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