A two-hour spontaneous work stoppage, from 8 to 10 this morning, the nursing staff of the Pediatric Department of Larnaca General Hospital came out to highlight, as they claim, the problem created by the overcrowding in this department.
PASYNO's spokesman Theodoros Petelis told CNA that "the spontaneous work stoppage started at eight in the morning and ended at ten. The reason for the work stoppage is to highlight the huge problem that currently exists within the department for which the PASYPY has done nothing in order to protect the nurses and especially the children who are hospitalized."
He added that "the OCYP has staffed the Department and has given instructions such as serving 20 beds. Last week in the Pediatric Department there were 25 occupied beds but with staff they could only serve 20 beds."
Today continued Mr. Petelis "in the Pediatric Department 28 children are being treated, two children are in the recreation room and one child in the examination room. At the same time, instead of finding staff and developing more beds for the needs that exist at this time, OKYPY asked the Hospital Administration to transfer six nursing staff from Larnaca to Famagusta Hospital in order to cover the needs of this hospital".
This, he said, "shows that OKYPY has no intention of resolving the problem that exists in the Pediatric Department of Larnaca General Hospital. It is really sad and outrageous the way in which the Organization operates towards solving this particular problem," he said, adding that "this is exactly why the staff of the Pediatric Department came to a work stoppage to highlight this particular problem and to ask for serious solutions, if indeed OKYPY has the capacity to propose and act, as our responsible employer that it is."
In response to a question, Petelis said that "the Pediatric Department during the work stoppage,was operating with security staff so that the safety of the children was at risk. A total of 18 nurses are working in the ward and the hospital management has taken two nurses from other departments to staff the Pediatric ward so that the 20 beds can be served and not the 28."
Director of Pediatrics: Unacceptable, unethical and unethical attitude
For his part, Adamos Hadjipanagi, Medical Director of Larnaca Hospital and Director of the Pediatric Clinic of the hospital, told CNA that "all Pediatric Departments across Europe are overcrowded at this time, because unfortunately there is a wave of epidemics mainly from viral infections and as a result these Departments are under tremendous pressure. The same is happening in the Pediatric Clinics in Cyprus while the Pediatric Department in Larnaca is working with absolute security as it has the staff requested by the Head of Pediatrics."
He added that "we have taken measures to help all those children who need our medical assistance. Specifically for the Pediatric Clinic of Larnaca Hospital, we were asked by the Head to add two more nurses, which was done and at the moment we are serving all the children who come to the Clinic safely, there is no child in the corridor."
However, he continued "because there are many sick people, at certain times of the day, we may exceed the number of 24 children we are entitled to treat.But there are more beds available which we use to treat more children," he said, noting that "it is really a shame that there are beds and we leave the little children helpless either in the hospital CICU or in their homes."
I believe, Hajipanagi said, that this should be done taking into account the best interests of the children and I don't really see the reason why there is this upheaval at the moment. "Instead, we should all be bucking up and working to deal with the crisis we are going through with the epidemic," he added.
I want, he continued, "to call on everyone involved, especially the nurses instead of stopping work to work, this situation will not last long and I don't think any of us would want even one child to be left helpless at a time when they need help and hospitalization."
In response to a related question, Mr. Hadjipanagi called "completely unacceptable, unethical and unethical the work stoppage to which the nurses of the Pediatric Department have resorted, having as a pretext the safety of the children."
Source: CNA
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
