Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 02-08-25

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cyprus-mail.com/>

Sunday, August 25, 2002

CONTENTS

[01] What's up, docs? Feuding cardiologists 'lose their patience'

[02] Donkey crop raiders 'should not be banished'

[03] Themistocleous to represent Cyprus at Earth Summit

[04] Price controls? Not in a free market

[01] What's up, docs? Feuding cardiologists 'lose their patience'

HEALTH Minister Frixos Savvides assured the Sunday Mail yesterday he will not let a reported feud between two cardiologists in Limassol General Hospital continue.

Speaking after media reports of a recent spat between the two doctors in the presence of patients, Savvides said he did not wish to make any comment until the Head of Medical Services, Konstantinos Mallis, returns from leave tomorrow.

“Once he comes back, we will sit down and sort it out together,” Savvides said. “One thing's for sure, we are not going to let it continue.”

Implicated in the fracas are Dr Michalis Minas, Head of the Cardiological Unit at the hospital, and cardiologist Dr Joseph Moutiris.

Politis reported yesterday that the two exchanged verbal abuse while pushing and shoving each other in front of patients. It said Moutiris has complained to the Health Ministry and that Minas has charged the ministry with indifference, inaction and bias, citing political allegiances.

In a letter to the ministry, Moutiris accused Minas of verbally abusing him while he was seeing a long-time patient at the cardiological unit, Politis said. Minas allegedly dragged him out the room, swearing and shouting at him to leave the clinic.

Moutiris also claims he was kept against his will in an office by Minas and a district official, who proceeded to warn him against visiting patients at the unit, according to the report.

Minas told Politis he rejected his associate's claims. He maintained that Moutiris had been informed in writing from July 2 of his new duties in the outpatients ward, but that he continued to do as he pleased after his return from sick leave on August 16. Minas called on the Ministry to launch a disciplinary investigation against Moutiris for refusing to perform his duties and being absent from the workplace.

He also blamed the ministry for showing excessive tolerance, even after a District Officer had informed the ministry twice last week of the problem.

According to the newspaper report, Minas also implied that Moutiris' past association with DIKO gave him protection in official circles, while Minas has been accused of getting support from opposition party AKEL.

Savvides said of the claims yesterday that “everyone is entitled to their opinion. There are no friends or connections involved here, just the best interests of the patients, nothing else.”

The two doctors were unavailable for comment yesterday.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2002

[02] Donkey crop raiders 'should not be banished'

“I join my voice with the Turkish Cypriot environmental groups in opposing this,” Themistocleous said.

According to Turkish Cypriot press reports, environmental groups in the north are outraged at a decision to export donkeys that currently roam free in the occupied Karpas peninsula.

Twelve groups have criticised the decision and said they will not accept it.

“We sold the mountains and stones and now it's the turn of the donkeys,” the Turkish Cypriot environmentalists said.

The daily newspaper Kibris censured the 'state' for being unable to contain the donkeys in a fenced area, instead letting them roam free and damage crops.

“We have been going to London to see our people who left for abroad because they were disappointed,” Kibris said. “Now we will be organising trips to see our donkeys as well.”

Themistocleous said he was surprised at reports that the donkeys are damaging crops, saying the donkey it is a very frugal animal that can survive on little food.

He added that the Cyprus donkey was a protected animal and that his ministry had implemented a specific programme for the welfare of this animal “that has given so much in the development of the country, since at one time it was the only means of transport”.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2002

[03] Themistocleous to represent Cyprus at Earth Summit

PEOPLE, planet, and prosperity will be the themes of the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa attended by around 60,000 delegates from around the world, Agriculture Minister Costas Themistocleous said yesterday.

Themistocleous, speaking before departing for Johannesburg yesterday afternoon, said the Earth Summit, which starts tomorrow, will be attended by more than 110 state leaders. President Glafcos Clerides is unable to attend because of the ongoing talks on the Cyprus problem.

The Summit on Sustainable Development will also include leaders of non- governmental organisations, businesses and other major groups to focus the world's attention on meeting difficult challenges, including the improvement of people's lives and conservation of natural resources in a world with an ever-growing population, increasing demands for food, water, shelter, sanitation, energy, health services and economic security.

The World Summit is expected to look at what progress has been made in implementing Agenda 21, the broad action plan for achieving sustainable development in the 21st Century, adopted at the Rio Summit 10 years ago.

Agenda 21 is an unprecedented global plan of action for sustainable development.

The Johannesburg Summit, whose theme is 'people, planet, prosperity', will focus on social development, poverty eradication and environmental conservation.

Delegates are expected to draft a new action plan that contains concrete and practical ways of achieving sustainable development.

The Summit is expected to showcase examples of workable sustainable development programmes around the world.

The hope is that the wealthy nations will recognise the scale of problems facing poor countries and that they will be able to integrate sustainability into their own development agendas.

Some of the key issues to be addressed include fresh water and sanitation, energy, food security, healthcare, primary education, and technology.

Themistocleous said differences that need to be bridged during the Summit include differences on the way certain principles that were agreed upon in Rio are interpreted, and good government and human rights.

Other sticking points are financing issues and official development aid, internationalisation and trade as well as adopting targets and the time schedules for their achievement and implementation.

Among the proposals expected to be put forward by the European Union are cutting in half by 2015 the number of people without access to fresh water and sewage systems, fighting the spread of communicable disease, increased investments in health, and a 10-year action plan on sustainable consumption and production.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2002

[04] Price controls? Not in a free market

Responding to recent reports about high prices in the retail trade, it said the matter has been studied in a series of meetings chaired by Minister Nicos Rolandis and in co-operation with the island's chief EU negotiator, George Vasiliou.

A written statement issued by the ministry yesterday said price control was not allowed in any form in a free market system.

“With the exception of fuel and cement, the prices of all other products, which used to be under the ministry's control in the past, have been liberalised,” the statement said.

“Liberalisation of the prices of fuel and cement will be carried out in the next few months.”

The ministry said that price liberalisation and the adoption of the market system imposed by the EU have not caused prices to rise higher than the percentage of increases prevalent in Europe and other countries.

Official figures show inflation in Cyprus in 2001 was approximately the same as in the European Union, fluctuating between 2.5 and 2.8 per cent, compared with 1.8 and 2.5 per cent in the EU, the ministry said.

Inflation in Cyprus in the first six months of the year was 3.32 per cent, mainly because of taxes on cigarettes and fuel.

The ministry cited last winter's supermarket price war, which took prices to extraordinarily low levels, as proof of market forces at work.

In cases where goods are sold at very high prices, Rolandis has repeatedly said that the market punishes profiteers, and he has urged people to avoid buying products from these retailers, the statement said.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2002

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