Polakis hits out at health workers’ union after conviction
Continuing an intensifying war of words, outspoken Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis lashed out at the national federation of Greek hospital workers (POEDIN) on Tuesday, accusing it of issuing a “barrage of lies” while the government works on upgrading the country’s health service.
His comments – including claims that authorities have boosted six of the country’s hospitals in recent months – came a day after an Athens court ordered him to pay 25,000 euros in compensation to POEDIN and its president, Michalis Yiannakos.
The case dealt with comments that Polakis had posted on Facebook in January 2017 targeting Yiannakos for comments he had made to the British Guardian newspaper regarding the state of the Greek health service.
In his social media post, Polakis called Yiannakos “a fool” and accused him of telling “despicable lies,” adding that his “place is on the trash heap of history.”
POEDIN subsequently initiated legal proceedings against Polakis, accusing the minister of using “degrading, insulting and wholly inappropriate” language.
After Monday’s verdict, POEDIN said it would donate half the compensation to hospitals for the purchase of medical equipment and the remainder to the families of the victims of last month’s deadly fires in Attica.
