The accident and emergency department at Larnaca General Hospital will almost double in size when the second phase of its renovation is completed by the end of the year, the hospital’s new director said. Patients continue to complain about long waiting times.
Director Stalo Charalambous said the second phase, which is several months behind schedule, would increase the number of examination rooms from six to ten and was expected to improve the situation. The first phase of the renovated department was handed over a year ago, but the problems have not been resolved.
Charalambous was speaking on a panel at Larnaka Talks, a public dialogue initiative moderated by Michalis Kalopedis.
She said talks were also under way with nurses’ unions on a reorganisation to free up some beds. Contacts are being planned with the Larnaca municipality to explore cooperation with its new municipal care home, which would give the hospital access to a small number of beds.
The hospital also has a serious shortage of parking. Charalambous said talks were under way with the Metropolis of Kition to rent a plot of land for staff parking, which would free up a number of spaces at the hospital.
She acknowledged that most complaints the hospital receives concern the behaviour of some staff, particularly in A&E. “We recognise this and it is an issue that requires training,” she said, adding that the hospital wants to provide it.
DIKO parliament member Andreas Apostolou, who said he is also a patient at the hospital, said there had been improvement but waiting times remained slower than in the private sector. “Larnaca is the last city in terms of investment within GHS,” he said. He added that this left patients without options and put pressure on the hospital.
Miltos Miltiadous, president of the Cyprus Federation of Patients’ Associations (CyFPA/OSAK), said patients’ associations had seen an effort by the new management to correct what had been happening at the hospital in recent years, and welcomed it. He said patients in Limassol and Nicosia had more options than those in Larnaca, where the public hospital has the only A&E department.
