Public sector doctors to strike over pay dispute

Public sector doctors in Cyprus are set to embark on a 48-hour strike starting July 2, following failed negotiations with the State Health Services Organisation (OKYpY) regarding the payment of accrued wages under an incentive agreement.

The strike action, announced jointly by the PASYDY Branch of Doctors and Clinical Directors and the Pancyprian Guild of Government Doctors (PASYKI), aims to press for their demands amid growing frustration with the OKYpY's proposal.

As part of their protest, doctors are proposing the closure of Accident and Emergency Departments in public hospitals, complicating an already strained healthcare system.

PASYKI President Sotiris Koumas criticized the OKYpY's proposal, describing it as inadequate and disrespectful towards doctors. "The disparaging attitude of the OKYpY Board towards doctors is now documented in writing, and it demands a response," Koumas told CNA.

He pointed out discrepancies in the OKYpY's financial proposal, noting, "How can the OKYpY propose a decrease in returns to doctors by 26% when overall revenue has only declined by 6%?"

Koumas called on the Ministry of Health to intervene in the escalating dispute, emphasizing the critical role of doctors in public hospitals. "Public hospitals are state-owned and managed by OKYPY, a model that has failed. The Ministry must engage to resolve this crisis," he urged.

The impending strike, set to be officially announced later today or tomorrow, marks a significant escalation in tensions between doctors and health authorities, threatening to disrupt healthcare services across Cyprus for the first time in two decades.

[With information from CNA]