Newsroom
If you’ve been thinking of heading to the ER, you might want to think twice; public hospitals across Cyprus are packed, with beds about 90% full.
Charalambos Charilaou, spokesperson for the Health Services Organization (OKYpY), described the past few days as “difficult” as emergency departments and general admissions spike due to a surge in viruses.
Doctors and staff are working around the clock, assessing patients daily and discharging those who can safely go home. “It’s all about keeping a balance between admissions and discharges,” Charilaou said. “But these are challenging times.”
Private hospitals aren’t much help either, he added, since they don’t have enough beds in key areas like infectious diseases, pulmonology, or pathology. “We’re talking to them, but public hospitals are still our main line of defense,” he said.
Despite the stress, Charilaou emphasized that Cyprus’ public hospitals are in much better shape today than in 2019, financially and operationally. Still, he warned the public: follow health rules and take care of yourselves, these crowded wards show just how contagious this season’s viruses can be.
