Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides assured on Friday that the government aims to promote discussion of the foreign nurses bill in parliament before the current term concludes.

Refuting reports that the bill had been shelved following the House health committee’s postponement, he insisted that “nothing has been withdrawn, we had an extensive discussion with the nurses’ unions and the committee. The discussion continues. Our goal is to promote the discussion before the end of the current term in parliament.”

The legislation, intended to address ongoing staffing shortages across the healthcare system, would allow controlled employment of nurses from third countries under strict conditions.

These include a 10 per cent cap on foreign nurses per healthcare unit, moderate knowledge of Greek, restrictions on senior roles and removal of certain postgraduate qualification requirements in specific cases.

The government presented the amendments as a targeted measure to supplement the existing workforce rather than replace it.

The bill has faced resistance from unions and nursing students, who argue it does not address fundamental issues such as pay, working conditions, and career development.

They warn that service quality could be affected and question the integration of foreign staff.

“Health cannot be treated as a commodity,” Tepak students previously stressed, instead calling for better staffing, collective agreements and support for trainees.

Private sector representatives and patient groups emphasise the urgency of the reforms.

Private hospitals’ association president, Marios Karaiskakis, said staffing shortages are “endemic across the healthcare sector” and that domestic supply cannot meet demand.

Osak, the patients’ federation, argue the shortage is already affecting public and private providers, limiting services in rehabilitation, community nursing, and palliative care.