Training programmes by a group of Canadian officials began on Tuesday at Makarios and Nicosia general hospitals to upgrade nursing and administrative processes.

Nineteen members of the group Accreditation Canada will train staff at Nicosia General, and 17 at Makarios hospital.

State health services organisation Okypy said the training would be completed in 2024, after the evaluation period of the hospitals has passed.

As part of the training, staff will be informed of international standards of excellence, collaborative work, and assessment methodologies, Accreditation Canada spokeswoman Yuliya Shcherbina said.

Meanwhile, head of the procedure quality network at Okypy Nicolas Nicolaou said the organisation is striving for higher standards, and providing the best care for patients.

Referring to the benefits of securing accreditation, he said that Okypy is working to cultivate a culture of quality and patient safety, to increase trust and meet patient expectations, to identify both strengths and weaknesses in everyday life and processes in general. It is also looking to promote and strengthen staff communication and cooperation, and boost the organisation’s competitive position.

Through this process, Nicolaou said, the hospitals will ensure “official recognition that they meet and apply recognised standards of quality assurance in the health sector,” underlining that “patience, perseverance and systematic effort and compliance are needed” for the success of this procedure.