The nurses’ union (Pasyno) on Wednesday condemned in strong terms the state’s inability to ensure their safety after yet another attack against a member of staff at the Nicosia General Hospital.

The union warned that if no measures were taken A&E triage staff would go on strike, followed by all other staff at A&E departments.

After multiple instances of violence, nothing had been done to protect nurses, Pasyno said.

In its latest statement, the union said it “condemns with anger and […] indignation the unacceptable attack on a nurse at Nicosia general hospital A&E and considers [it] a gross violation of the safety of health workers.”

The attack and the state’s absence “brutally compromise public health and insults the dignity of those who fight daily to provide medical care to the public,” it added.

In an extraordinary session, Pasyno had decided that if effective measures were not taken, the union would first withdraw all its triage staff and then the rest of its members.

“We no longer tolerate inaction. Health facilities cannot be places of violence and unsafety. We demand from the ministry and Okypy the immediate adoption of protective measures,” the union said.

The latest incident was perpetrated by a visitor accompanying a patient, while last month an attempted stabbing at the same hospital had prompted nurses to undertake a two-day strike.

Police are investigating the latest attack on Tuesday, in which a man allegedly verbally abused and assaulted a 30-year-old female nurse, injuring her in her face.

Earlier the nurses union said it had been watching the ineffectiveness of the state, the ministry of justice, and the state health organisation (Okypy) over the past two months since the previous serious incident with despair.

“It seems they are not concerned about the physical safety of staff and the violence at public hospitals,” the union said.

“In our profession we are vulnerable [to all kinds of behaviour] without anyone seemingly on the alert, the union said, adding that it was time for stakeholders to “get serious” in addressing the problem “before we mourn victims.”

“We have had enough of words,” the nurses said, describing state authorities as “apathetic” over the matter.