A second doctor and more nurses on call in case of emergency, in order to have proper treatment, are requested by the kidney patients, patients of the Hemodialysis Unit of the General Hospital of Famagusta, who in the morning held a protest outside the Hospital.
In his statements, the representative of the patients, George Kezos, said that "one of the reasons for the protest is that there is no second doctor on call, since the previous one retired with the result that the Hemodialysis Unit is under-functioning. We also ask that there be other nurses on call so that they can serve patients in case of emergency ".
He added that “18 months ago we were promised that the Hemodialysis Unit at the General Hospital of Famagusta will be expanded, since the space exists. The specific site was visited and approved by all the competent Services and Bodies involved, including the Fire Service and the Department of Public Works ".
The people in charge, he continued, "told us that the money for the expansion exists and that the projects would start on January 1, 2021, however, until today, not only nothing has been done. On the contrary, the plans for the expansion of the Unit have stopped and they are trying to expand the Hemodialysis Units in the other provinces ".
According to Mr. Kezos, "we are not against any province, but we ask that what the patients of the other provinces enjoy, exist for the dialysis patients of lower Famagusta".
Answering a relevant question, he said that they feel like second-class patients, since for six years they have been struggling to have what their fellow human beings have in other provinces, however during this time nothing has happened.
Asked if patients are worried about their lives, Mr. Kezos said that in 2020, 2.300 kidney patients were examined, there are 45 dialysis patients and another 15 people who are waiting for someone to die to enter the dialysis, since the Unit can not cope.
At the same time, he referred to rumors that after the retirement of the second doctor, some people are thinking of closing the Hemodialysis Unit at the General Hospital of Famagusta. "It will be very difficult to close this unit," he said.
He also noted that in the province of Famagusta there are 15 people who are disabled, blind and to go to the hospital for dialysis must be accompanied by 2-3 of their own people. "I wonder how these people can be transported by ambulance to Larnaca Hospital, when other dialysis patients went there, literally threw them in the First Aid Department and waited 3-4 hours for a doctor to see them."
We, continued Mr. Kezos "as dialysis patients refuse to go to Larnaca, we refuse to have doctors on call from Larnaca, because we have heard this issue many times. The General Hospital of Larnaca can not cover the dialysis patients of the province of Famagusta because the doctors there do not accept us to go there ".
It is noted that the protest event of the kidney patients was attended by MPs and candidates for Famagusta.