Survey exposes dire state of health centers
The dire state of regional health centers has been exposed in a new survey.
The General Hospital and Health Center of Kalavryta has an on-call team of one qualified doctor and a trainee nurse. There is no orthopedic specialist or ambulance despite a ski center operating nearby. At the Zagora Health Center there is no orthopedic specialist, nor are there plans to provide one. The nearest orthopedic surgeon is in Volos.
These are some examples of short-staffing at health centers in mountain regions based on a survey by the Panhellenic Federation of Employees at Public Hospitals (POEDIN). According to POEDIN, the coverage of permanent staff at the centers reaches 35 percent.
POEDIN makes special reference to the lack of supplies at health centers, notably “gloves, cotton wool, oxygen masks, perfusion devices, stents, surgical thread, bandages, gauze, syringes, medicines, gasoline for vehicles and oil for heating.”
It added that workers hold collections to buy necessities and keep the centers running.
