“One in three clinics in Central Macedonia is at risk of suspension”he emphasized the president of PASOK-Movement for Change Nikos Androulakiswho accused the government of Mr. Mitsotakis of not believing in the NHS and noted that for his party the priority is the regeneration of the National Health System, with the recruitment of permanent staff, a strong primary care network.

“One in three clinics in Central Macedonia is at risk of being suspended, the coverage of anesthesiologists is around 53%, when in the rest of Greece it is at 73%, a horizontal problem that is escalating in the 3rd and 4th PES”, he said Mr. Androulakis, after his visit to the Children’s Oncology Department, Hippocrates Hospital of Thessaloniki and the meetings he had with the management of the workers’ union and the administrator of the hospital, Nikos Antonakis.

“The problems of lack of personnel are significant. I want to thank the doctors and nurses for their painstaking efforts, especially in the Children’s Oncology Department, and the information they gave us”, said Mr. Androulakis and continued: “For us the priority is the regeneration of the National Health System, for us the priority is permanent staff, a strong primary health network, which will deal with the huge issues that exist both in the urban centers and in the Greek region, de-escalating the pressure that public hospitals are under, as happened during the pandemic period. And, of course, requests for incentives, significant incentives in specialties. Not only anesthesiologists, but also in other specialties, incentives for nurses. For us, it is not only the financial issue, which must exist because the salaries are much lower than the European average, as a result of which thousands of health workers apply for work abroad. They are both heavy and unhealthy.”

At this point, he emphasized that PASOK will again file an amendment for the heavy and unhealthy and called on the government to support this fair request.

At the same time, he attacked the government, saying that it seeks to strengthen the private sector in health at the expense of the public sector and remarked: “Unfortunately, the government of Mr. Mitsotakis does not believe in the NHS. The prioritization is such in the Recovery Fund and other financial tools, which show that what they seek is the strengthening of the private at the expense of the public. Without understanding that the main pillar of social justice and addressing inequalities in the country is public Education and public Health, which for us, for our faction, is a priority to be strong and provide high-quality services to Greek citizens and especially to the most weak”.

The president of the workers’ union Giorgos Dontsios told Mr. Androulakis that the hospital’s biggest problem is the lack of staff, especially anesthetists, and asked for cross-party support to hire permanent staff, while also raising the issue of salary increases .

The vice-president Christos Tzelepis emphasized that the staff shortage is around 30% in all departments, while in some it reaches 40% or even 70%. Of the 12 operating theaters, only five are operational.

It was also reported by the trade unionists that the wait in the Emergency Department can reach up to 8 hours.

The president of PASOK said that his party will support the demands of the workers and will “put its back”. He accused the New Democracy government of “ideology” and noted that if its current policy in the health sector continues, then the following situation will emerge: “Where we used to say that the poor go to the NHS and the rich to private health, we will say that those who have no money at all will go to the National Health Service, those who have little to private Health and those who have a lot abroad”. He also said that the NHS is under extreme pressure from demographics and staff shortages and advocated its revival, with recruitment, better working conditions and pay as well as the formation of a new, modern health map.

Mr. Androulakis offered gifts to the children being treated at the Oncology Department.

The president of PASOK was accompanied by Press Representative Thanasis Glavinas and party officials.