New Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides on Friday said he aims to attract more young people into the nursing profession.
“The goal is to encourage young people to choose a profession of high scientific value, with excellent employment prospects, and a decisive contribution to public health,” he told nurses’ trade union Pasynm’s annual conference.
He described nurses and midwives as “pillars of stability, social cohesion, and sustainable development”, and said that “the quality of care provided to the public, the functionality of health systems, and society’s trust in public health depend to a large extent on their work”.
However, he said, “needs are increasing and the demand for specialised nursing and midwifery personnel is now obvious”, while what he described as a “lack of human resources” is “not only a Cypriot issue, but a European and international reality”.
To combat this, he said, his ministry had “undertaken specific initiatives”, including a “campaign to attract young people to the nursing profession, in collaboration with universities, schools, and social organisations”, which he said has increased enrolment of first-year nursing students by 85 per cent.
He said that the nursing profession is “characterised by scientific knowledge, clinical judgment, ethical responsibility, and deep respect for people”, and that “your contribution is not limited to treatment, but extends to prevention, family support, patient education, health crisis management, and the defence of public health”.
He then added that the state must “actively recognising this”, before saying that his ministry will “continue to strengthen staffing, upgrade working conditions, recognise specialisations, and support the scientific and professional development of nurses and midwives”.
His comments come after state doctors’ trade union Pasydy said that n, with the aim of addressing a “significant staffing deficit” in public hospitals.
However, the employers’ and industrialists’ federation (Oev) has repeatedly warned that private clinics may be forced to close due to staff shortages.
For this reason, it said earlier this year that the “only way out” is for nurses to be hired from third countries and for third country nationals who study nursing in Cyprus to be “utilised” in the domestic market.
Nurses themselves, however, have consistently objected to reported plans to reduce the minimum Greek language requirement for third country nationals who wish to practise nursing in Cyprus.
“We cannot allow people’s safety and the quality of healthcare provided to be sacrificed on the altar of serving financial interests by disregarding the human factor and placing the patient second,” Pasydy said last year.
