Nicosia: The ongoing healthcare workforce crisis and the emerging risks it poses for smaller countries were the focus of a high-level meeting in Latvia, where Cyprus was represented by Health Minister Michael Damianos.
According to Cyprus News Agency, released on Saturday, the meeting was attended by representatives from Cyprus, Latvia, Ukraine, and Montenegro.
The discussion centered on the challenges faced by healthcare systems due to aging populations and declining interest in pursuing healthcare careers. Participants stressed the urgent need to strengthen the healthcare workforce and ensure the best possible working conditions for medical professionals.
During his discussions with counterparts, Damianos highlighted Cyprus’ campaign to attract nursing professionals, which led to an 85.7% increase in first-year nursing student enrollments. He also mentioned the recent introduction of the Health Care Assistant role, aimed at easing the burden on nursing staff.
While in Latvia, the Minister visited the state-of-the-art Pauls Stradin…¡ Clinical University Hospital, where he toured the outpatient department, radiology unit, and interventional cardiology department.