Presidential candidate Andreas Mavroyiannis said supporting, strengthening and ensuring that public hospitals have real autonomy are all necessary for their correct functioning.

Speaking after a visit to Paphos general hospital, Mavroyiannis said hospitals in Cyprus are the backbone of society.

At Paphos hospital he met scientific director of Limassol and Paphos hospitals Christos Nicolaou and director of Paphos general hospital Spyros Georgiou.

“I sincerely hope that the issues surrounding the autonomy of hospitals on the island can be solved soon. They have been discussed far and wide, but we haven’t seen real autonomy for them,” he said.

“There needs to be a correct structure and a balance between the responsibilities of the state health services and public hospitals, so that the latter maintain their central importance for citizens all over Cyprus.”

During his visit, Mavroyiannis exchanged views with Nicolaou and Georgiou about various issues arising at Paphos hospital in particular and within public hospitals in general.

“Today’s talks were very helpful to better understand the extent of existing problems at public hospitals,” Mavroyiannis concluded.