The state doctors’ union Pasyki and state health services organisation Okypy are pressing on with negotiations over incentives to be given to doctors from 2025 till 2027, which doctors said were not adequately linked to their increased productivity.

Pasyki leader Sotiris Koumas told the Cyprus News Agency that the channels of communication remain open despite their disagreement.

“No bridges have been burned,” Koumas said, adding that the union received a final proposal from Okypy last Friday.

The whole process began in late February with a deadline set for April. Koumas said that deadline was not adhered to for reasons he preferred not to go into.

“I don’t want to make the situation worse,” he said.

He added that the delay meant that compensation for hours worked in 2023 and 2024 was also “significantly delayed”.

Koumas said the incentives aimed at offering higher compensation for increased productivity, however the union believed the incentives should reflect the specialisation and experience of the doctors.

Nevertheless, Pasyki went along with the reasoning of Okypy, Koumas said.

Furthermore, as the revenue of state hospitals was projected to increase until 2027 by “tens of millions”, Okypy’s initial view was to keep the incentive package unaltered, a position the union disagreed with, Koumas explained.

The amount rose partially after pressure and Pasyki did not press further for the sake of labour peace, he added.

An incentive, Koumas said, was that doctors who are more productive should receive an increase and those who are not should get less.

“This concept was not introduced by Pasyki, but by Okypy itself and it should implement it. However, it doesn’t and this is where the problem lies,” Koumas said.