CORONAVIRUS - ONE MORE WARD CLEARED AT FAMAGUSTA HOSPITAL TO MAKE WAY FOR COVID PATIENTS

 Cyprus Mail 30 October 2020 - by Annette Chrysostomou

The pathology department of the Famagusta general hospital has been evacuated to be used for the treatment of coronavirus patients, it was announced on Friday.

According to the Cyprus News Agency, the directorate of the hospital received instructions to empty the unit after the large increase in cases in recent days.

“Until Thursday, the pathology ward housed about 22 patients with pathological, cardiac or other health problems, who have already been transferred to other wards of the hospital, to private clinics, and even to Larnaca general hospital,” the announcement said.

“If the increase in cases continues and more people need to be hospitalised, other parts of the hospital will be emptied and only the A&E department will remain open.”

In total, the Famagusta hospital has 110 beds and 10 beds for dialysis, which will continue to be used for the dialysis of kidney patients.

On September 25, a meeting was held during which the expansion of the referral unit was discussed.

Executive director of state health services organisation Okypy Christos Loizides, mayors, community leaders, MPs and the directorate of the hospital decided to carry out a study regarding the use of a floor of the building only for coronavirus patients.

The aim was to use the third floor for the treatment of patients with coronavirus and for the rest of the hospital to continue to operate normally.

On October 3, residents of Famagusta protested after the hospital’s paediatric and gynaecological departments were closed due to the influx of Covid-19 patients, necessitating that patients be taken to other districts or private hospitals for treatment.

Staff has also called for the building to stop being used as the sole coronavirus hospital, and for the other general hospitals to start carrying the weight of coronavirus cases.

Head of the hospital Amalia Hadjiyianni this week complained the facility needs more medical and nursing staff to cope with the Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday Okypy asked the health ministry to establish a second referral hospital to treat coronavirus patients in light of the daily increase in cases.