One year Reference Hospital: The touching post of Dr. Kypris: "I felt like I was going to war"

In a touching way he describes what he experienced in one year as a ward coordinator COVID-19 of Famagusta Hospital the Special Pathologist, Dr. Christos Kypris.

Such is his post:

"March 11 today. A day I will never forget in my life. A few days ago I had volunteered to go to the Famagusta General Hospital to help with the pandemic. But no one knew. Neither when will the first confirmed case come, nor when will the referral hospital open and when should I go. At that time I was working on the suspicious incidents at the General Hospital of Limassol and on 11/3 my first positive case came out. I had entered my patient's room to tell him. He had lost the earth under his feet. The phobia painted on his face. But I push him to remember where he went, who he came in contact with and try to get rid of him as if I were a detective.

I finished I remember 5 o'clock in the afternoon. I leave the room, sweaty, tired and the Executive Director of the hospital was waiting for me to announce that in 2 hours the patient must leave for Famagusta and I must go with him. "The reference hospital starts operating and does not have a doctor on duty tonight and you have to go." Shock! But in 2 hours? I know that in this country everything happens at the last minute but in 2 HOURS?

I call my mother and tell her to find a suitcase and put on whatever clothes and items she can imagine because I do not know when I will return. My mother and my 2 sisters were waiting for me at home. I felt like I was going to war. I told them not to worry and that everything would be fine. But did I know if they would go well? I had no idea. But I always want to see everything positive. This is how I work. I started coming to Famagusta.

I had no idea where this hospital was. The first night I did not close my eyes. I was looking at the false ceilings of the hospital and my mind was running at 1000. I did not know what I was feeling. It was unprecedented for me. It was probably a phobia. Unknown hospital, unknown staff, unknown disease, unknown treatment. The next day, my fellow infectious disease specialist, George Siakallis, came. Great man and scientist.

We worked hard together. Make a plan for the future. To work everything to perfection. To train the staff well. We had a lot of work to do. For the first 3 months I did not miss a single day from the hospital. I wanted everything to be perfect. Report not to sleep at night. Do I wake up at 5 in the morning without an alarm clock? I want 10 snoozes to get up normally. Along the way I lost 8 kilos. Okay that was good. Ought. The stress was intense. It's been 1 year now. I am fine now. It does not matter if I live alone on the 4 walls in an apartment in Paralimni away from all my family and friends.

I'm fine. Because here I got a second family. I met great people. With respect and love for their fellow man. If it were not for these people we would not have these results in the hospital. I was honestly impressed with these people and I am impressed every day. I love them. I always say the best for nurses, assistants and cleaners. These are the "heroes".

But I want to mention by name 5 fellow doctors. Many doctors came and went from here. But 5 people were always here. To work non-stop. With respect and love for their fellow man. Florentia Spices, Theognosia Hanni, Florentia Savva, Dimitra Dimitriou, Lefteris Papakonstantinou. Thank you for all. Without you, nothing would work.

Who expected that 1 year later I will still be here? And yet I am still here, this summer. One day I will leave but a big part of my heart will be here. At the General Hospital of Famagusta. My second home. My second family. ❤️❤️❤️ ”