The Greek Health Sector: Decimated by the German – EU – IMF “bail out” programs

Anesthesiologist suffers stroke after 16h shift; minister apologizes

Jan 18, 2024

An anesthesiologist in a public hospital in Thessaloniki suffered a stroke after a 16-hour- long shift without a break. She told media “I came to do a shift and I’m leaving with a cane.”

The Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiadis, publicly apologized for the harsh working conditions reassuring that the ministry tries to fill the gaps created by doctors’ shortages.

Speaking to state broadcaster ERT from the hospital, the 44-year-old anesthesiologist attributed the stroke she suffered to overwork due to overtime working.

The doctor was in the surgeries room for 16 hours and when she finished her shift she began to feel the first symptoms.

“At the end of my shift I felt a strong malaise, my face went numb. I laid down in the recovery area where we have the stretchers. My colleagues rushed to me and found that it was a stroke.”

According to ERT, the doctor underwent thrombolysis to break blood clots and is in good health, although some problem has remained in her leg.

“My leg is still not very well. That’s what worries me. I was told that it will get better. I came to do a shift and I am leaving with a cane,” she stressed.

She added that she is not the only one who has suffered the consequences of this exhausting work, but also other colleagues.

“For the past 12 months we have been doing 10-12 on duty shifts per month. Difficult shifts where we need to be in the operation room for endless hours[…] It is a given that it is because of this situation. For twelve, thirteen months we have been working so many hours that we can’t stand it anymore.”

When asked by the ERT reporter if she would take legal action, the anesthesiologist responded “I think that’s where I’ll end up.” She also made known that she is still hospitalized.

Hospital staff shortage in general and in anesthesiologists in particular

ERT noted that seven anesthesiologists are employed at “Papanikolou” hospital, two of whom are currently on sick leave.

There are 11 operation rooms, and it is obvious that not all of them are working.

The Ministry of Health is reportedly making efforts to staff the hospitals and in particular to fill the vacant positions of anesthesiologists.

The announcement of 17 positions of anesthesiologists is in process in order to cover these needs.

Media have been reporting for quite some time that there is a serious shortage of this specialized doctors in public hospitals, among others with the effect that the list of patients waiting for surgery to grow longer and longer.

A friend of mine was told she may wait for 6 months to have a surgery she needs.

Speaking to ERT main news bulletin on Thursday, members of the hospital workers union said that “even if  they raised incentives for anesthesiologists some months ago, the harsh working conditions remain as the open vacancies do not fully cover the hospitals needs.”

Health Minister apologizes

Speaking to ANT1 TV, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis apologized to the doctor “on behalf of the state.”

He claimed “Thessaloniki is the city with the greatest shortage of anesthesiologists in Greece. But this does not mean that the state is not trying to find anesthesiologists.”

He added that there “constantly open vacancies for anesthesiologists but we’can;t find any.”

Fact is, however, that anesthesiologists find better salaries and much better conditions in the private sector or have already migrated abroad.

Fact is also that shortage of personnel in Greece’s hospitals started right after the first bailout in 2010/2011, when the lenders allowed just 1 hiring for 7 departures due to retirement in the public facilities.

The ratio changed to 1:5 a few years ago, however, the neo-liberal government of New Democracy continues a harsh “austerity policy” in public health resulting into collapsed of overworked doctors and patients pushed to the private medical sector paying thousands of euros from their own pockets.

Furthermore it should be recalled that the Health Ministry extended to several weeks a long list of prescribed blood tests in December, while as of 1.1.2024 it  took off the prescription list several low-cost (?) medications such as Vitamin D (osteoporosis) and gastro-protection for patients undergoing “aggressive” therapies -as friends have reported..

Prescription of high-cost medication has now to be approved by a special committee.

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