On Saturday, October 5, an emergency occurred at the General Hospital in Nicosia.
A patient at a medical facility threatened medical staff with a knife. He ended up punching a doctor and beating two nurses.
Because of this incident, unions announced their intention to hold a two-hour strike on Monday, October 7th. Police, in turn, are now searching for a 29-year-old man after he threatened and attacked two nurses and a doctor.
“At some point, he pulled out a knife and attempted to stab someone in the emergency room in the neck,” witnesses said.
The strike will take place from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the hospital's emergency department, but patients will be treated in critical cases, the Pasyki, Pasyno and Pasydy unions said in a joint statement.
The National Health Service (Okypy) condemned the incident and called on security personnel to “intervene in a timely manner”, showing no tolerance for such actions.
The agency noted that health care professionals “are called upon to save lives, not to be attacked.” Okypy added that it will take all possible steps to ensure justice prevails.
It was not immediately clear who exactly the suspect was trying to stab. Unions said it was a male nurse, and police said the punch was aimed at another patient. However, the attack resulted in him punching a doctor and nurses.
“This is completely unacceptable and condemnable. This is not the first time health workers have been subjected to such attacks.”
Unions said health workers were subjected to verbal abuse on a daily basis and those in charge of running hospitals "must protect us".
“We ask for safety and protection so we can continue to operate. Otherwise, we will close the medical facilities and go home to be safe.”
Source: cyprus-mail.com
