Ombudswoman says Okypy failed to find nurse for disabled child

Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou-Lottides said on Monday that immediate action needs to be taken to find a licenced nurse for a disabled boy, to act as his school escort.

In a report, the ombudswoman said that the state health services organisation (Okypy) needs to find the school escort for the boy, following a complaint from his mother.

“And in the event that such a thing cannot be made possible in time, the agencies involved should take the necessary actions in relation to the costs and expenses borne by the family of the complainant, so that they are paid until it [Okypy] has found the right person,” she said.

In the report it is noted that the boy’s mother filed a complaint with Lottides’ office, regarding the failure to replace the chaperone/nurse provided to her son during his studies at a public Kindergarten in a village in the Nicosia district, and “as a result of which he remains without a chaperone/nurse and that she and/or the nurse in charge of the child’s home care are forced to accompany him to school.”

The case concerns a child with a disability (spinal muscular atrophy), who has a tracheostomy and a gastrostomy and, for this reason, the complainant had asked the education ministry to approve the provision of a qualified companion, who is able to meet his individual needs.

The report said that an appropriate nurse had been provided on October 17, 2022, who, however, a few days later, on October 21 2022, informed that he was unable to meet the needs of the position and would request to be replaced.

Lottides said that in November the father informed Okypy of the incident, but that since then the position has not been filled.

“The state has so far failed through Okypy to meet its obligations under the convention, with the result that the family itself bears the specific responsibility and costs,” she said.

She called on the organisation to rectify the situation immediately.