Mr. Tsipras will maintain the same stance with Ms. Linou as he did in Pneumatiko’s statements, or will he maintain, as is customary, two standards and two standards, New Democracy states in its statement and clarifies that “for us, universal access of every citizen, regardless of the stage of his illness, to the best treatment that the National Health System can offer him, is non-negotiable”.

What had Mrs. Linou said?

In an interview seven years ago, she stated: “In the final stage (of cancer) we should have provided relief and support services for these people and their relatives.”

Asked to explain what she means, she replies: “I mean that a person who is nearing the end, on high doses of expensive anti-cancer drugs may not be able to be saved. But the quality of his life in the last stages and the quality of life of his relatives in the last stages of the dying patient are very important and we do not provide that as a country”.

And he continued: “If you see, in the families of doctors – and the greatest doctors, I would say, the wise doctors – we don’t tend to prolong the lives of our loved ones, we don’t choose to prolong our lives ourselves, when it is a given that there is not full cure”.

The announcement of the ND

In detail in its announcement, the ND states: “Subjects of such high sensitivity, such as the treatments of cancer patients, especially in the final stage, should be left out of the political confrontation.

Human life is an absolute value and all parties should refrain from contests that refer to political exploitation of such critical issues. That’s why we didn’t make any announcement about Ms. Linou’s statements.

But SYRIZA himself came, with his announcement, not only that to support Ms. Linouwhich says roughly the same as what Mr. Spiritualwhose unacceptable statements were met not only with disapproval but also with his withdrawal from the pre-election battle, but also to attack the ND by fully supporting the views of his candidate for parliament.

And it is a monument of hypocrisy, for Ms. Linou, who talks about expensive medicines, to be the first to lash out against Mr. Pneumatikos when she herself has said the same. Will Mr. Tsipras, who made a “flag” of Mr. Pneumatiko’s statements, charging them in total to the ND, will take the same stance as Ms. Linou and put her out of the electoral race, or will he, as he usually does, observe two measures and two stations?

For us, the universal access of every citizen, regardless of the stage of their illness, to the best treatment that the National Health System can offer, is non-negotiable. And if there is something we want to highlight with this announcement, it is the hypocrisy of SYRIZA and the small-party exploitation of such a sensitive issue”.

On the occasion of Athena Linou’s statements, the ND parliamentary candidate Kostis Hatzidakis wrote on Twitter:

“Today statements of Mrs. Linou have been made public which are almost identical – if not exactly identical – to those of Mr. Pneumatikos.

Mr. Tsipras, who was so disturbed by the issue of Mr. Pneumatikos, what will he do now?

Will Ms. Linou be included in #SYRIZA’s ballots or will there be some sanctions?

There can’t be 2 meters and 2 stations!”.

SYRIZA’s answer: We are not all the same

We are not all the same, the ND talks about profits and losses, we talk about human lives”, says SYRIZA-PS in a statement and accuses the ND that “today in its panic it proceeded to an incredible wretchedness: it attacks with fake news the Professor Athina Linou”.

He then explains: “Ms. Linou seven years ago supported the obvious. That the state and the state must provide full support to terminal cancer patients and their families who are faced with the unspeakable pain of loss. This is what medicine, culture and human ethics dictate.”

Finally, he asks the ND “to apologize for turning the most difficult moment of thousands of families into an object of cheap falsehood. Because he attempts to equate Mr. Pneumatiko’s cynical statement about the financial dimension of treatment with the humanity and sensitivity of a doctor who fights for people’s right to dignity until the end.”