Family raises concerns over hospital care for autistic child following road accident

On Saturday, May 2, a car accident occurred on the road from Geri toward the Leroy Merlin roundabout in Cyprus, involving a vehicle carrying two children aged 2.5 and nearly 7, their mother, and another woman. Following the collision, all four individuals were transported to the Accident and Emergency department of the General Hospital. The family filed a formal complaint regarding the treatment of the oldest child, who is non-verbal and on the autism spectrum, alleging that the hospital environment was overstimulating and that staff lacked the specialized training to manage his condition. Relatives reported that the child suffered extreme distress and had to be physically restrained by family members to prevent him from interfering with medical equipment. Furthermore, the family alleged that the child waited approximately five hours for initial examination results and questioned the accuracy of early medical reassurances given before full diagnostics were completed. While the hospital initially assessed the child as not being in danger, he was eventually transferred to Makarios Hospital for a 48-hour observation period. The family described the administrative and medical handling as traumatic and has called for immediate improvements in the healthcare system to better support non-verbal patients. Official reports confirmed the incident but the family maintains that the provided accounts do not fully reflect the challenges faced during the treatment process.