Trade unions on Tuesday rejected proposed changes to minimum nurse-to-patient ratios, arguing that any reduction in staffing requirements would place patient safety at risk while doing little to address a worsening shortage across the healthcare system.

The latest intervention by Sek, Peo, Pasydy and Pasyno comes as the health ministry attempts to tackle a deficit estimated at around 600 nurses in the clinical sector.

The unions expressed strong opposition to proposed amendments to the private hospitals law, which would revise minimum staffing ratios in private healthcare facilities.

They argued that reducing the required number of nurses per patient would amount to a weakening of standards rather than a modernisation of the sector.

According to the organisations, lower staffing levels would increase workloads, delay responses to patient needs and place additional pressure on nurses already facing high levels of professional burnout.

They warned that weakening nurse staffing requirements could have direct consequences for patient care and safety, calling on the ministry to withdraw the proposal and focus instead on measures that strengthen healthcare services.

The dispute represents the second major obstacle facing the ministry’s efforts to address the staffing crisis.

Earlier proposals to facilitate the recruitment of nurses from third countries were also met with strong opposition from unions and professional bodies, resulting in the legislation being put on hold.

As a result, the two principal measures advanced by the ministry to ease staffing pressures have both encountered resistance.

Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou has previously acknowledged the scale of the problem, describing the shortage as a structural challenge affecting the entire healthcare system.

The expansion of services under the general healthcare system (Gesy) has increased demand for nursing staff, while retirements, workforce mobility and difficulties attracting new entrants have further strained resources.

Private healthcare providers have repeatedly warned that staffing shortages are affecting operations.