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“The situation in our schools, hospitals and government will not improve if we continue to tolerate poor standards and a system that rewards privilege, discourages excellence and strives for mediocracy”
“Cyprus’ national health service should not rely on miracles but a scheme that will improve the standard of medical care for all Cypriots no matter their postcode or financial situation”
By Charlie Charalambous
Some people like to live for the moment, but most of us are always planning for tomorrow in the certainty that day will rise with the sun.
Ideally, we would like to cherish every passing second in the life we are given, but the reality is that moments pass and the next day is another challenge.
We may live in the here and now, but we are building a foundation, so the next steps are on firm ground. Age teaches us that going off to find yourself in a far-off land will not pay the bills unless you have inherited a fortune or swim among the rich and famous.
So, in planning for tomorrow we take the future for granted as if it was a given, a fixed variable that can be managed and manipulated.
Even though life can be fragile and sometimes brutal, we invest in our longevity. Invariably, we plan to stick around for a while longer than a butterfly.
We take out mortgages, register our kids at school and plan for their future education, we plot our careers and book our holidays a year in advance.
This is what we do because we believe tomorrow always comes and the day it doesn’t is the day we don’t want to think about.
This is not to say that we should needlessly worry about what might and what might not happen to us, because such indecision would paralyse us with fear and uncertainty.
Treading boldly forward means we must be prepared for what the future holds, to be equipped with the tools to address those challenges and obstacles.
This not only applies to individuals but also businesses, the economy, our education and health systems. If we do not get it right, we will come unstuck.
For a considerable time, we played Russian roulette with the banking system and it brought the economy to its knees five years ago.
Our short-sightedness and reluctance for reform have ensured our education system is bottom of the class, while teachers behave as if they are the ones that should benefit rather than the children and parents.
I’m not sure if you have visited a state hospital lately, but Cyprus’ health system is a shambles and buckling under the pressure.
There is resistance to the introduction of a National Health Scheme because as always self-interest plays a part where the common good should be paramount.
Cyprus has the economies of scale, the skills and the wealth to have one of the best health systems in the world. Instead, we have people needlessly dying in hospitals.
And where are the politicians to take us forward? They are too busy scoring political points off each other while making sure their ‘people’ get the best jobs that come with fat pay cheques but no accountability.
Why we expect this lot to solve the Cyprus problem when they can’t even put a few teachers in their place is mind-boggling.
Nevertheless, the situation in our schools, hospitals and government will not improve if we continue to tolerate poor standards and a system that rewards privilege, discourages excellence and strives for mediocracy.
This is not what we deserve or should accept. It is time for us to ask the difficult questions, demand more from public figures and kick cronyism and corruption into touch.
We can start by planting a flag for a new health system because a society without top-notch medical care easily accessible to all is in real trouble.
And it takes a health alarm to realise that whatever plans you made for tomorrow go out the window if you are not able to receive timely and expert treatment.
I had a heart scare to make me realise that if you are not in a position to get the expert medical care you need then fate will roll a loaded dice.
Rather than be stockpiled at a state hospital emergency ward, I was in a position to go private and get immediate attention for an irregular heartbeat pumping faster than Usain Bolt.
Stupidly, I actually put off going to the hospital for several days because of past experience at Larnaca A&E where the wait and the environment fills one with dread rather than confidence.
Generally, I don’t trust local hospitals, which is why my condition got worse until I decided to go private in the hope it would be over with quickly.
It wasn’t, but I was in good hands.
My irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) would not normalise with medication and so I was sent to the American Heart Institute in Nicosia for an electric shock. I was being prepared for the treatment when my heart decided to go back to normal in what my family described as a ‘miracle’.
Cyprus’ national health service should not rely on miracles but a scheme that will improve the standard of medical care for all Cypriots no matter their postcode or financial situation.
Like most things in Cyprus, it can and should be better.
Charlie Charalambous is Editor of the Financial Mirror
