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GreekReporter.comGreecePODEIN Reports Greece's Public Hospitals Understaffed, Lacking Vital Diagnostic Equipment

PODEIN Reports Greece's Public Hospitals Understaffed, Lacking Vital Diagnostic Equipment

HOSPITALPublic hospitals in Greece are facing major shortages of everything from staff to equipment, according to a report published by the Federation of Public Hospital Workers (POEDIN).
There were over 61 Greek National Health Service (ESY) facilities examined to compile the data that shows staggering short-comings in the country’s public health sector that ultimately are impacting the health of Greek society.
Some hospitals, such as the Papageorgiou Hospital in Thessaloniki have such dire shortages of staff that patients have had to wait up to eight hours before being seen by a doctor at the emergency room (ER).
Another specific hospital cited in the report is Nikaia Hospital, near Piraeus where patients had to wait up to seven hours for assistance at the ER.
POEDIN found that many potential patients never receive the medical assistance they were seeking due to the long wait times as they opt to leave before the doctors get around to examining them.
As the financial crisis in Greece has caused a lower living standard for many people as well as increased stress and anxiety, Greeks have seen increasing health issues, causing an increase in the traffic at emergency rooms across the country. In the past three years it is estimated that there has been a 40 percent increase in patients going to the ER, according to the report.
Also highlighted in POEDIN’s report is that Greece’s public hospitals are lacking in diagnostic equipment that is vital for saving the lives of patients.
For example, the report stated that staff at certain hospitals complained that there was not the correct diagnostic tools to carry out troponin tests which are needed to diagnose heart attacks resulting in patients being transferred to other facilities that had the correct equipment and losing precious time when diagnosing such a serious health issue.

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