Serious complaints concerning a specialist doctor who holds the position of assistant director at a clinic of Limassol General Hospital are at the centre of successive administrative and disciplinary procedures. According to information obtained by Politis, an administrative investigation by the State Health Services Organisation (OKYpY) identified indications of possible medical negligence. At the same time, a disciplinary procedure is under way at the Ministry of Health, as the doctor in question is a civil servant seconded to the Organisation. The complaints under examination span the period from November 2024 to last June and concern both the handling of patient cases and issues of professional and administrative conduct. The most recent complaint concerns the death of a patient in the middle of the night, while the doctor, although on call, was absent from the hospital and did not go there despite repeated callshe received.
"This is no time to be calling me"
According to information obtained by Politis, when the patient's condition deteriorated, repeated telephone calls were made to the specialist doctor so that he could be informed and give instructions. The same information indicates that in one of these communications the doctor allegedly told a nurse that "this is no time to be calling me". The patient subsequently died.
Complaints have been filed against the doctor by 14 Accident and Emergency doctors, who say he does not come to A&E when called. He appears to have administered chemotherapy to a patient despite a low white blood cell count.
A separate internal investigation into the incident was carried out by OKYpY. As Politis is in a position to know, the investigation also raised issues pointing to possible negligence. The findings were submitted to the Organisation's Legal Department and, because of the doctor's employment status as a civil servant, were subsequently forwarded to the Ministry of Health. At this stage, no conclusion can be drawn as to any causal link between the actions or omissions investigated and the patient's death.
Six other cases
The latest incident occurred while both an administrative investigation by OKYpY and a disciplinary procedure by the Ministry of Health were already under way. The administrative investigation concerned six different patient cases, two of whom died. The investigation was carried out by an OKYpY doctor serving at another hospital of the Organisation, with the findings reportedly delivered in early August. The same information indicates that the investigating officer identified indications of possible medical negligence on the part of the specialist doctor.
In one of the cases examined, chemotherapy appears to have been administered to a patient even though their laboratory tests showed a particularly low white blood cell count, a factor that allegedly had not been taken into account before treatment. In another case, a patient with breast cancer and brain metastases allegedly did not receive dexamethasone treatment.
Complaints dating back to 2024
The case has its roots in November 2024, when 14 doctors of the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) of Limassol General Hospital filed a complaint about the way the specialist doctor responded to cases requiring assessment by his specialty. Among other things, they reported that on repeated occasions he did not come to A&E when called, instead giving instructions by telephone. The complaints also referred to the preparation of signed admission forms without a prior personal examination of the patient.
For a long period, the A&E doctors' complaints were not investigated. In later reports, the complainants directly raised the issue of no action having been taken despite the earlier complaints, arguing that the situation was continuing and escalating.
In late 2025 and early 2026, new complaints followed from staff at a clinic of Limassol General Hospital. Among other things, these concerned allegations of workplace bullying, demeaning and sexist behaviour, abuse of administrative authority, as well as professional negligence and issues related to patient safety.
The timeline of the complaints has also prompted criticism over the time it took for investigation procedures to begin. After the case became public, the Ministry of Health ordered a disciplinary procedure, which remains under way. The ministry's jurisdiction stems from the fact that the doctor in question is a civil servant seconded to OKYpY. According to information obtained by Politis, the material under examination includes a complaint from a patient's family, the complaint by the 14 A&E doctors, and the later complaints by clinic staff.
"No delay," says OKYpY
Given the seriousness of the complaints, we contacted OKYpY seeking the Organisation's position on both the investigation procedures and the latest death. A competent source told Politis that all complaints brought before the Organisation are investigated according to the prescribed procedures and the letter of the law.
Regarding the latest death, we were told that the findings of the internal investigation were submitted to OKYpY's Legal Department and subsequently forwarded to the Ministry of Health, because of the doctor's status as a civil servant. The same source declined to comment on the content of the findings, indicating that, since a disciplinary procedure is under way at the ministry, the Organisation cannot prejudge its outcome.
On the criticism regarding the response time after the first complaints, a competent OKYpY source stressed that there are specific procedures which are followed without delay, while rejecting any suggestion of an attempt to cover up any incident.
Evaluation amid complaints
An issue also arises in relation to the performance evaluation of staff who had previously filed complaints against the specialist doctor. According to the complaints, because of the position he holds, he continued to act as an evaluator while the relevant complaints were under investigation, with the complainants claiming they received unfavourable ratings.
The issue also came before PASYKI, the government doctors' union, which sought clarification as to whether a person in a professional conflict or dispute with a doctor under evaluation can act as that doctor's evaluator.
