The decongestion of the single list of surgeries and the incentive for doctors to stay in the NHS, are the two axes of the philosophy of the framework for afternoon surgeries, according to what he mentioned, speaking earlier today in the Parliament, the Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis.

“Our decision on the afternoon surgeries, in addition to having the character I have explained, to be able to decongest the single surgery list a little and some who can give some more money, can go ahead and lighten the morning list, it also has the character of giving a way out to doctors to have higher incomes, being within the National Health System and therefore having an additional incentive to stay or to come, rather than to leave, as many are now doing because they find much higher salaries in the private sector out”, said the Minister of Health, on the occasion of the discussion of a question by PASOK MP Eleni Vatsina on the shortage of doctors in Child Psychiatry and Pediatric surgery of PAGNI.

“The PAGNI Pediatric Surgery Clinic is understaffed and we are talking about a Clinic that covers Heraklion, Crete, but also cases in the southern Aegean that are currently covered by a single doctor on call, since it has two doctors in total. Since the beginning of the year the third doctor retired. Also, the pediatric surgeon at the Chania hospital, who however had an organizational position at PAGNI and was on duty there, resigned for personal reasons”, is the situation, as described by the member of parliament PASOK.

“PAGNI is one of the best hospitals in the country,” said the Minister of Health and presented information on the operation of the two clinics. “During the last year in PAGNI until November 2023, 280 pediatric surgeries were performed at the pediatric surgery clinic, of which 148 were planned – regular surgeries – and 132 were emergency.” “Well, it’s a productive clinic,” said Mr. Georgiadis. He also stated that “a total of 9 child and adolescent psychiatry specialty positions were advertised in the hospitals of the 7th Ministry of Health of Crete to strengthen mental health and adolescent structures, of which six, unfortunately, turned out to be unfilled.” As he also stated, “only one appointment was made at PAGNI in the child psychiatric clinic. One judgment process is in progress, but it will be occupied by existing staff and for one more the tender process is in progress”.

The real problem of the ESY today is that the tenders are fruitless, said Mr. Georgiadis. “In 2024, the Ministry of Health has the largest number of approved recruitments from ESY payment. We can hire ten thousand permanent staff this year. We’ve never done that before. The problem is we can’t find staff. And this is the very big discussion that we need to have seriously – I have told the Social Affairs Committee to do it too, maybe with a little more time -, to discuss what the state should do to reverse this image. We do tenders in many hospitals in the country which are declared barren, without anyone interested, that is, and then we re-tender them again and again. This is the real problem today in the National Health System”, said the Minister of Health who informed the MP that in the next few days the positions of doctors for PAGNI will be advertised again.

Radiation therapy department in Rhodes

The Minister of Health was also asked to answer a topical question of PASOK MP Giorgos Nikitiadis, about the need to operate a radiation therapy department at the Rhodes Hospital. “In recent years more than seven hundred and fifty patients have been forced to leave the islands of the Dodecanese and go up to Athens or go to Crete, in order to be cured, in order to be able to deal with the incurable disease. Unbelievable suffering, financial, mental, far from their own, far from their homes,” said Mr. Nikitiadis and recalled that “the Prime Minister announced before the election the creation of a radiotherapy center of 1300 square meters”.

As Mr. Georgiadis mentioned, with a bill that will be submitted to the Parliament in the coming weeks, the way will be opened for the establishment of the radiotherapy center to proceed. “I absolutely accept the responsibility created by the promise of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. It is not a promise to be given before elections. It is a commitment to be completed by the next national elections and to be judged by its implementation”, said the Minister of Health and added: “the center will be built, as promised by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as envisioned by the late Dimitris Kremastinos and as the you are also asking today with your current question and all the MPs obviously of the Dodecanese and of course the Regional Governor, who – I want to say this – intends to finance it already through the resources of the Region so that we don’t waste any time. “Well, it will be done and we will go together – may God bless us – on the first day when the first patients go to find their treatment in the radiation therapy department of the island of Rhodes”.