Nurses at Athalassa hospital stage two-hour strike over overcrowding

Nurses at Athalassa mental hospital were due to start an impromptu two-hour work stoppage on Friday demanding quality health care for patients and better staff protection.

Pasydy mental health professionals will hold a protest between 12 to 2pm outside the hospital over the government’s lack of action after the hospital announced on Thursday it has reached 120 per cent capacity and patients are overcrowded in the limited number of beds.

“We demand the involvement and intervention of the state and all the competent bodies for immediate political decisions to solve the problem of overcrowding of Athalassa Hospital, so that we can continue to offer quality services to the mentally ill in a safe and healthy environment,” the nurses said in a written statement.

The staff also demanded protection for the nurses, as current conditions at the hospital are putting their own health in danger.

The demonstration followed a meeting of the management board of the sector earlier on Friday.

The hospital has been facing long-standing problems including the absence of a general practitioner after the implementation of Gesy and the lack of a social worker as well as a shortage of medicine.