With only one start ambulance around the clock, summer began in a big way islands countries. This highly dangerous condition leads to long delays in transfers or even transfers on one’s own, putting patients’ lives at risk. Last Sunday, a 63-year-old woman died on Kos. An agricultural truck was called to take her to Kos hospital as the only ambulance on the island was attending to another incident.

According to the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers, Michalis Giannakos, “EKAV has only one ambulance in Kalymnos, Kos, Leros, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Samos, Syros, Santorini and Tinos. In Chios and Ikaria, there is not enough staff for a second ambulance in all shifts, and in Ios, Karpathos and Kitira, EKAV with 1-2 rescuers works for about eight hours.

As Giorgos Matiopoulos, president of the Attica workers’ union EKAV, explained to K, even this minimal work of one ambulance per shift on islands such as Paros, Naxos, Mykonos and Santorini is carried out with the help of rescuers from the mainland who move for a-two months to meet the needs of the islands. Previously, the transfer of rescuers from the mainland to the island of the country was carried out only in the summer months. “Now it happens all year round,” says Mr Matiopoulos.

According to him, auxiliary rescuers are invited to the islands, but there is no interest, since the costs are high and the earnings are small. “We said that permanent rescuers should be announced to at least meet the needs of the islands of the country. Although the shortcomings apply to the whole country. Over the past five years, 450-500 rescuers have left EKAV, and the recruitment does not cover even half of those who are leaving,” concludes Mr. Matiopoulos.

The first will be served, the second will wait

“Every summer in the same project, viewers! Human lives are at risk due to the understaffing of EKAV in the Aegean islands,” comments Mr. Giannakos. And he adds: “Our islands are not only without the health of doctors and nurses, but also because of the lack of ambulances. Another summer on the large islands of the Aegean Sea, there is an acute shortage of EKAV rescuers. The Ministry of Health and the EKAB administration have not taken care to reinforce the existing limited force by hiring ambulance crews, resulting in only 1 ambulance working around the clock on most Aegean islands. The first person to call an ambulance will be provided at the appointed time. The second will wait until the only ambulance is available, or he will be taken on a village cart to the hospital, as happened again on Kos, and, unfortunately, another life has been lost.”