University of Cyprus medical students protest over clinical training legislation

On Thursday, November 5, 2026, students from the University of Cyprus Medical School gathered outside the House of Representatives to protest against provisions in a new bill regarding the establishment of university clinics and hospitals. The demonstration coincided with the start of the article-by-article discussion of the bill by the Parliamentary Health Committee. While the students support the long-awaited legislative progress, which has been under discussion for 10 to 15 years, they argue that the current draft fails to ensure the necessary quality of medical education and clinical research.

To address their concerns, the students presented a memorandum to the Committee Chair, Savia Orfanidou, outlining two primary demands. First, they insist that each hospital should be affiliated with a single primary medical school to ensure centralized research and educational responsibility. Second, they demand that each university clinic be staffed by a minimum of three university doctors, rather than the single doctor currently proposed in the bill. The students emphasized that these quality criteria are non-negotiable to prevent the institutionalization of substandard clinics. Members of the Health Committee provided an initial positive response to the students' demands as the legislative process continues.