The Cyprus State Health Organisation (OKYpY) has launched a major upgrade of the Limassol General Hospital.
According to the release, the medical centre will carry out several activities aimed at improving conditions for patients and staff. Among them:
- The emergency department will be enlarged by 550m2, which will reduce waiting times and improve patient comfort.
- A new 18-bed day-care unit will be opened for patients who need short-term observation without hospitalisation.
- The dialysis unit will be expanded to 34 stations, allowing more patients to be treated and making the hospital more attractive for medical tourism.
- A new intensive care unit will be created with direct access to the surgical unit, speeding up the transfer of critical patients.
- Ancillary facilities will be upgraded to make work easier for medical staff and more comfortable for visitors.
The project aims to strengthen the public health system and improve the level of medical services in Limassol.
It is worth noting that this project has provoked mixed reactions. According to Pasis Sotiris Koumas, head of the public doctors' union, the noise of the pneumatic drills in the outpatients' department makes it impossible to attend to patients. It turns out that some doctors were not informed in advance about the timing of the work and do not know how long the inconvenience will last. Koumas criticised OKYpY for not having a clear plan to minimise the inconvenience.
The work is literally over our heads: they are drilling the ceilings, widening the supports, building a first floor,' he said, adding that patients should have been temporarily transferred to other facilities.
For his part, the organization's spokesman, Haralambos Harilau, said it was not possible to carry out the work in stages. The contractor was instructed not to use noisy tools between 8.30 am and 12.30 pm, but this was not always adhered to. Alternative locations for outpatient appointments are being considered, including the old Limassol Hospital and the Linopetra Medical Centre.
We all have to make compromises when it comes to infrastructure development," added Harilaou.
Similar upgrading projects are now underway at public hospitals in Nicosia and Paphos. Despite the inconvenience, OKYpY assures that all health and safety protocols are being followed.