The State Health Services Organisation (SHSO) has embarked on a mission to extend the operating hours of state-run hospitals, with Nicosia General Hospital’s clinical laboratories leading the way.
The aim is to provide outpatient services during the evenings.
According to Phileleftheros sources, there are plans in motion to expand the operating hours of clinical laboratories in state hospitals beyond Nicosia, and SHSO’s vision includes radiology departments. Radiology services will also be offered to outpatients during evenings, catering to non-emergency cases.
A new schedule for the clinical laboratories at Nicosia General Hospital has been implemented, with blood tests now available from 7 am to 5 pm during weekdays and 7 am to 2:30 pm on Saturdays.
This extended service is set to benefit patients requiring both routine and specialised examinations that are not readily available in the private sector.
SHSO spokesperson, Charalambos Charilaou emphasised the organisation’s patient-centric approach, stating, “With the extension of operating hours of clinical laboratories, patients are facilitated first and foremost, and subsequently, SHSO’s income capacity increases.”
Charilaou also revealed that they are “studying the extension of operating hours for radiology departments in parallel with the clinical laboratories.”
The Nicosia Hospital will take the lead in this initiative. The purchase of modern equipment for radiology departments presents an opportunity to expand services beyond emergency and in-house patients.
“We want to stop serving only emergency cases and internal patients and have the capability to cater to outpatients as well. These are patients who are referred by their doctors for radiological diagnostic examinations but currently have limited options in the public sector after 3 pm, often turning to private providers,” Charilaou said.
Concluding his statement, Charilaou underscored the calibre of Nicosia General Hospital’s clinical laboratories, stating that they are “accredited and highly specialised, serving as reference laboratories nationwide for an extensive range of tests.”
