A total of six patients claimed medical negligence or misdiagnosis within two weeks in August, the patients’ association (Osak) said on Monday, urging people to take action.

Osak and the Pancyprian Medical Association called on the patients and their families to submit official and named complaints, so that any incidents can be individually investigated.

“Most patients direct their worries towards Osak, without filing official complaints, which will lead to a proper investigation,” Osak president Charalambos Papadopoulos said, appealing to patients to “not be afraid to make complaints.”

In addition to the cases from August, two serious reports were made last week alone.

The family of a 63-year-old woman who died of cancer, which is suing a radiology centre and a doctor, claiming the initial examination results performed when the patient was 60, indicated cancer but were never detected.

The family alleged serious medical negligence, as well as a two-year delay in timely treatment.

In the second case, a complaint filed by the Paraplegics’ Organisation stated that a 62-year-old woman with a rare serious disease was left without medical care for eight hours.

The day after she was allegedly taken to a clinic when her health had deteriorated and she suffered a cardiac arrest. After being transferred to the intensive care unit, she was left without oxygen for over 20 minutes, causing serious damage to her vital organs.

Her family has reportedly never received official information about the cause of death.

Additional complaints in August concerned delayed diagnoses for minors, unnecessary surgeries, patients undergoing surgeries without prior examinations, X-ray misinterpretations and lost biopsy results.

“This is particularly worrying,” concluded the Osak president, “we have no reason to doubt the patients, and we must take measures to see exactly where the truth lies.”