“The shortage of nurses has already begun to show its teeth,” emphasizes the Cyprus Association of Private Hospitals, which is expected to inform the Minister of Health today, while the Ministry of Health intensifies its efforts to attract new students.
According to the information obtained by Phileleftheros from the Cyprus Nurses and Midwives Association (CNMA), there are approximately 400 students enrolled in nursing schools operating in the universities of the country (across all years of study).
At the end of the current academic year, it is expected that about 120 new nurses will graduate, and some of them will not be Cypriots or Greeks, so they cannot be employed immediately (there are restrictions in the recruitment of nurses from other countries, as there is a requirement for a good knowledge of the Greek language).
The estimates of CNMA for the needs of the next three years mention about 1,000 new nurses, taking into account retirements as well as new structures and new hospitals expected to operate soon on the island.
Furthermore, it should be noted that many nurses are no longer in clinical settings but are performing their nursing duties in other healthcare facilities (e.g., clinics), and therefore the numbers vary again.
Regarding the doctor-nurse ratio in Cyprus, all relevant authorities conclude that there is also a problem.
Moreover, based on the data from the Ministry of Health resulting from capacity planning, it is observed that although there does not seem to be an insurmountable problem with the shortage of nurses in the coming years, there is already an issue with the doctor-nurse ratio, with the number of nurses being insufficient to meet the needs arising from the number of active doctors in Cyprus.
Finally, concerning the nurse-population ratio, data from the EU show that in Cyprus there are 6 nurses per 1,000 inhabitants, a fact that places our island below the EU average.
“The problem is already here,” stated the president of the Cyprus Association of Private Hospitals, Marios Karaiskakis, to Phileleftheros.
“Hospitals are already facing problems and cannot easily find nurses to employ. Previously, we had competition only with the public sector. Now we see that there is also a ‘silent war’ between hospitals in the private sector, and let us not forget that we are all aware of the new hospitals that are preparing to operate soon and will definitely need nurses as well.”
“As an Association, we have already warned about the situation because with the implementation of the General Health System, the development of the sector, and the expansions of services we see even in existing hospitals, we observe that the problem is getting bigger over time. Therefore, it is probably time to find other solutions and meet our needs. The shortage of nurses, especially after the pandemic, is a phenomenon observed internationally, not only at a European or national level, and already several countries have resorted to alternative solutions, such as promoting nurses of different levels or strengthening the institution of healthcare assistant, etc.”
The president of the Association is expected to inform the Minister of Health about the situation prevailing in the private sector today during their scheduled meeting.
The problem is recognized by the Ministry of Health, which, as already announced, has prepared a strategy to attract students to nursing and midwifery schools in both the public and private sectors. As part of the Ministry of Health’s campaign, representatives of relevant authorities will participate in a presentation to about 170 secondary education advisors today so that they are aware of job opportunities and can inform high school graduates about nursing schools operating in Cyprus.
In addition to this information, the Ministry of Health has prepared audiovisual material, which is expected to be released to the public very soon.
The trade unions representing nurses in Cyprus also warn about the future.
Emphasizing that based on international data, nurses constitute almost 60% of healthcare professionals in every country, the spokesperson of the Cyprus Nurses’ Union, Theodoros Petelis, told Phileleftheros that “for a while now, we have been pointing out to the Ministry of Health the need for measures to be taken and for some correct actions to be promoted.
“We notice that the available positions in nursing schools in Cyprus are more than the students who eventually enroll in them because there is no interest. Additionally, we see that in the private sector, and among private hospitals, a competition has begun for which hospital will be the first to make hires.”
“From the moment,” he added, “we see these phenomena developing, we must act to avoid reaching a point in a few years where we do not have nurses to meet our needs. Already, new hospitals are being built in Cyprus, and these hospitals will need nurses to operate safely. Therefore, we must ensure that we are ready. Looking at it from the perspective of the State Health Services Organization, we must also say that measures must be taken and the right decisions must be made so that we do not see a mass exodus of nurses from the public sector to the private sector.”
For his part, the president of the nurses’ branch of PASYDY, Prodromos Argyrides, emphasized, speaking to Phileleftheros, that “the problem already exists and unfortunately, we predict that it will worsen in the coming years. The State must find ways to persuade our high school graduates to choose nursing for their studies.”
Mr. Argyrides said, “This is a phenomenon observed abroad as well. Especially after the pandemic, and what was then brought to light, the nursing profession became unattractive to young people, and this is something we must address and overcome. It is not a coincidence that some countries, such as the United Kingdom, are resorting to alternative solutions, introducing new institutions such as different levels of nursing, to fill the gaps that have arisen.”
