A healthcare staffing fight is intensifying in Cyprus. Two government bills intended to tackle a shortage of nurses have deepened disagreement between private hospitals and unions representing state nurses.
Private providers say they are short roughly 650 nurses and warn of possible bed closures if hiring does not improve. They welcomed the decision to send both bills to parliament.
The state nurses' union disputes those figures, calling them arbitrary and raising concerns about patient safety and the risk of replacing current staff with lower-cost foreign workers.
Under the proposals, private hospitals could recruit nurses from third countries through a controlled process, capped at 10 per cent of a unit's nursing staff, with language requirements and limits on senior roles. Lawmakers are set to debate the bills this week.
