The Government's priority is education and health, the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulidis, said on Monday, in his meeting with the Pancypriot Nurses Union, characterizing as "unacceptable" the incident of violence at the Nicosia General Hospital.
He also said that the right to strike is respected but that in the field of health and education every leeway must be exhausted.
On Monday morning, President Christodoulidis received the General Secretary and members of the Pancypriot Nurses' Union at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of the Minister of Health.
In his initial comments, President Christodoulidis referred to the importance the Government gives to health and education issues.
"As a state we have a responsibility to offer all citizens the same opportunities, wherever they are," he said.
He noted that in the health sector, nurses are "one of the most important parts of this effort."
"I know well the challenges, the problems," he said, noting that last week's incident at the Nicosia General Hospital was "unacceptable". "There is absolutely no justification for this kind of behavior," he said.
President Christodoulidis also stated that "we are lucky to have the General Health System in our country", adding, "it has problems, it has challenges, we are here to face them".
He also referred to the Government's efforts to encourage young people to pursue a career in the nursing sector and the decisions regarding the salary upgrade of the sector.
He also said that "the right to strike is respected, none of us can dispute it. But especially in the field of health and education, I believe that we must exhaust every margin".
In closing, he said that from the Government's point of view the approach to education and health issues "is of the utmost importance, it is a priority, and within this context is the meeting and discussion today".
The meeting lasted about an hour.
Source: KYPE