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Delays in treatment, missing medication, and long waiting times in hospitals are among the most common complaints being raised by patients in Cyprus over the past month, according to the Cyprus Patients’ Associations Federation (CPA).
The federation says most of the reports involve public hospitals and the Health Insurance Organization (HIO), with patients also raising concerns about communication, access to services, and staff behavior.
In plain terms, people are saying the system is not always working as smoothly as it should, especially when they are already dealing with illness or stress.
Medicine shortages and uncertainty
In one case reported to the CPA, a patient said she had been receiving a specific medication for some time but recently struggled to find it available in pharmacies.
She said pharmacists were unable to give clear answers on when the medicine would be restocked or whether it would be available again at all, leaving her in uncertainty about her ongoing treatment.
For patients who depend on regular medication, even short-term shortages can create anxiety and disruption to their care.
Hours of waiting for a scheduled appointment
Another complaint involved a parent who brought their child to a hospital appointment scheduled for 10:00 in the morning.
Instead of being seen on time, they said they waited until after 2:00 p.m. before seeing the doctor.
According to the complaint, other patients who had arrived even earlier, some with 8:00 a.m. appointments, were still waiting in the same area, frustrated and unsure of how the order of patients was being handled.
When the parent asked hospital staff for clarification, they were reportedly told there was no fixed order in which patients were being seen.
A difficult hospital stay for a child
In a more serious case, a child who was taken to the hospital after an injury was initially assessed in the emergency department, where doctors suspected a possible spinal fracture and recommended hospitalization.
The child, who is autistic, was later advised to undergo an MRI scan under general anesthesia.
However, the hospital reportedly does not offer that service, meaning the child had to be transferred to another hospital in a different district.
To make matters more complicated, the parents were also informed that the MRI machine at the receiving hospital was temporarily out of service due to maintenance, meaning the scan could be delayed until next week.
The father expressed strong concern about the situation, saying his child may need to remain in the hospital for around a week without clear treatment decisions until the scan is completed. He also stressed that a prolonged hospital stay is particularly difficult for a child with autism, given the unfamiliar environment and disruption to routine.
Growing pressure on the system
The CPA says these are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of complaints that have come in over recent weeks.
While each case is different, the common thread is frustration: uncertainty over medication availability, long and sometimes unstructured waiting times, and gaps in services that force patients to move between hospitals or wait longer than expected.
For many families, especially those dealing with urgent or complex medical needs, these delays are not just inconvenient; they add stress to already difficult situations.
The federation says most complaints continue to focus on public hospitals and the HIO and highlights the need for clearer communication and more consistent access to services.
For patients, though, the issue is simpler: when you are unwell, waiting, without answers, can feel like the hardest part of all.
