The gap between official rhetoric on mental health and the reality inside the Athalassa Psychiatric Hospital dominated Thursday's session of the House Health Committee, where officials acknowledged patients sleeping on mattresses on the floor, chronic understaffing and admissions the system cannot control. Anthos Giannapis, Head Nursing Officer of the Mental Health Services of the State Health Services Organisation (OKYpY), told MPs the hospital functions as a "pool of Siloam", the final destination for every weakness in the country's health services.
Committee Chair and DISY MP Savia Orfanidou announced the discussion will resume on 10 September and asked all services involved to submit detailed memoranda and clear timeframes for planned actions by then.
A hospital absorbing every gap in the system
Responding to MPs' questions, Mr Giannapis said that in 2025 there were 463 new admissions and 536 readmissions at Athalassa, along with 14 new voluntary admissions and nine voluntary readmissions. He said 121 people are currently hospitalised under compulsory treatment orders.
OKYpY General Financial Director Robertos Karahannas explained that the uncontrolled flow of patients stems precisely from the issuing of compulsory hospitalisation orders, and that in the absence of appropriate structures the hospital admits everyone from people with drug dependencies to the homeless. Mr Giannapis added that staff can tell when a contaminated batch of crystal methadone is circulating in Cyprus simply from the pattern of admissions.
OKYpY representative Charalambos Charilaou linked staffing weaknesses directly to ward overcrowding. Mr Giannapis also pointed to social stigma as a driver of readmissions, saying families often hide problems until the patient reaches a desperate state, and that communities frequently resist the creation of new facilities. The stigma, he said, is worse than the illness itself.
A €30 to €40 million plan and a request for time
Mr Karahannas acknowledged the truth in MPs' comments about overcrowded wards, patients on mattresses on the floor and understaffing, saying OKYpY is effectively the recipient of a problem built up over years but is taking responsibility. He said planning for a new, modern centre is under way, with the viability study for the second phase of building works submitted to the Ministry of Finance and funding of around €30 to €40 million approved. The tender is expected within the year, after which the timeframe will become more specific. A Finance Ministry officer confirmed the study is being assessed as a priority before the project is added to the budget.
Mr Karahannas also explained that the old Athalassa buildings were evacuated after a structural study found deficiencies, with patients and staff moved to newer buildings for safety. Mr Charilaou said around 20 patients were discharged as part of decongestion measures, six psychiatric beds are being secured at Nicosia General Hospital, compulsory treatment beds in Limassol will rise from eight to ten, and a cooperation with the Christos Stelios Ioannou Foundation will provide at least seven beds for low-risk cases and people on the autism spectrum. Day centres are to be converted into day hospitals to relieve pressure on Athalassa.
Mr Karahannas noted that because there is no provision for compulsory medication after discharge, relapses are frequent. "We have a vision, we have measures, we have delivered and will deliver projects, but we need time to implement the planning," he said.
Patient Advocate Marios Charalambides described mental health services as the "poor relative" of the system and said he will visit Athalassa with Mr Karahannas on Friday 10 July to agree a decongestion framework.
Children and adolescents left exposed
Themis Anthopoulou, President of KYSOA, raised the alarm over minors on the autism spectrum ending up hospitalised at Athalassa for lack of appropriate inpatient structures. Commissioner for the Protection of Children's Rights Elena Perikleous said the integration of children and adolescents with mental illness is absent from the National Strategy, called for urgent legislation on the requirement for both parents' consent for a minor to receive support, and presented four axes covering a national system for minors, prevention and early intervention, equal access and specialised structures.
She said TENE, the inpatient clinic at Makarios Hospital treating adolescents aged 12 to 17, is insufficient. Mr Giannapis, responding to AKEL MP Marina Nikolaou, confirmed its ten beds do not meet demand. Evagoras Tambouris of the School Health Service said 119 health visitors deliver a life education programme in schools, with encouraging pilot results in Lefkara, Polemi and Agros. An Education Ministry officer said the ministry hopes the 2028 budget will fund 60 educational psychologists after the request for 2027 was rejected, with Ms Orfanidou pledging pressure to secure funds from 2027. It was noted that school services are now managing suicide attempts, substance use and violence, leaving no room for prevention.
Legislative gaps unresolved for years
Ms Orfanidou noted the legislative weaknesses have been flagged in the committee for at least seven years. Niki Ierodiakonou, who took over as Acting Director of Mental Health Services on 1 July, said a preparatory committee is being set up to work on the mental health services bill. DISY MP Giorgos Pamboridis highlighted the gap in post-discharge care, with Mr Giannapis confirming relatives are not obliged to take on care of discharged patients.
Eleni Karagianni of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare said responsibility for community reintegration passes to the Social Welfare Services without suitable premises or specialised medical and nursing staff, and that the deputy ministry lacks the expertise to create such structures. Maria Stefanou, a member of the Committee for the Supervision and Protection of the Rights of Mental Health Patients and a relative of a patient, said discharged patients often live in rooms resembling small institutions while families remain "always in the shadow" without support. Michaela Markou of OSAK reported rising complaints from mental health patients, adding that the real number is higher but goes unrecorded because of stigma.
Political reactions
Ms Orfanidou said no state can cut corners on mental health, calling it "the greatest scourge of our century" and demanding immediate solutions. Ms Nikolaou said the situation at Athalassa has taken on the characteristics of a humanitarian crisis revealing the failure of the government and OKYpY to manage the basic needs of one of society's most vulnerable groups. DIKO MP Andreas Apostolou said the complaints heard from patients' associations are extremely serious and results are now expected from both the Health Ministry and the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare. ELAM MP Andreas Papacharalambous said services operate with serious staff shortages and inadequate resources, stressing that mental health "is not a luxury, it is a priority". Alma MP Litsa Droushiotou said good intentions are not enough and called for decisions, funding, specialised staffing and concrete timeframes, while Direct Democracy MP Giannis Laouris said the only way forward is structured dialogue among the dozens of bodies involved.
