The Kamu-Sen leader, Mehmet Özkardaş has issued a statement announcing they will go on strike at the Nicosia Dr.Burhan Nalbantoglu, Hospital ‘Kibris Today’ reports. The statement is as follows:
“The insufficiency of the Radiographers in the Radiology department at the Nicosia Public Burhan Nalbantoglu hospital is not only preventing our people from claiming their right to access health services, but is also putting the employees— who have to cover 24 hour shifts at health’s at risk,
Even though there are eight vacant positions at the Radiography department, permission to open vacancies is not being given by the related authority. Because there are not enough Radiographers, patients who want to have an X-ray are being given appointments for twelve months later. A patient who is given an appointment for 4-5 months later will have to go to private hospitals if they can afford it, and the ones who cannot will have to suffer.
The government who is resisting finding a solution to staff insufficiencies in the health department is able to appoint and promote workers on the basis of which party they support and bringing out amnesties through statutory decrees to those who have been doing tax frauds of up to 1 billion dollars a year [the statement alleged].
The Health Ministry’s indifference to our 3-day strike shows that they do not care about our people’s health. If this indifference continues and the permission to make up the insufficiency of Radiographer is not given, beginning from the morning of the 11th August we are going to start an indefinite strike and apart from emergencies, no other cases will be taken at the hospital.
As a union we informed the health minister, Prime minister and finance minister about the strike and our requests, on paper. Any negativities that our people will suffer is owing to the responsibility of the government who are insensitive to human health [needs].”
