Νo regular surgeries in Greece’s biggest Children hospital in Athens due to shortage of anesthesiologists. Only emergency surgeries will be performed as only 8 anesthesiologists are available out of 17 in total needed
The Agia Sophia Children’s Hospital, the largest pediatric hospital in the country, is facing serious problems with the lack of anesthesiologists, as a result of which scheduled surgeries are being postponed and children and parents are suffering, reported on Friday daily ethnos.gr.
A few says ago, the newspaper had revealed that regular surgeries have been “frozen” at the hospital for days and only emergency surgeries are performed due to a lack of anesthesiologists.
Through their union EINAP,, the doctors at the children’s hospital doctors demand the immediate recruitment of permanent staff at the Agia Sophia Hospital as well as in all the country’s hospitals in order to ensure their full operation.
Only 8 anesthesiologists are in the hospital out of 17 positions, the doctors said.
This shortage has led the hospital to the tragic reduction of regular surgeries with continuous postponements, of a particularly sensitive group, such as that of children, thus increasing their parents’ anxiety.
The Administration of the Children’s hospital is reportedly looking for a solution to the problem as this nursing institution covers most of the needs in pediatric cases.
There is consideration to have one anesthesiologist relocate from another children’s hospita in Athens, the one in Penteli,
However, the problem with the shortage of anesthesiologists concerns the entire country and all hospitals, as this specialty is no longer preferred by young doctors, while those who want to become anesthesiologists in recent years choose to move abroad where salaries are often much higher than in Greece, reported ethnos.
Others, preferred to seek a position at a private clinic and avoid the public hospitals.
It was just in last July, where an organ was flown from Cyprus to Thessaloniki for a liver transplant. The 27-year old patient was ready to recieve the organ that would save his life, however, the operation was cancelled in the last minute, because no anesthesiologist was available.
The sensitive organ that has a specific duration was then flown to Athens where another surgeon – and an anesthesiologist – could perform a successful operation.
The shortage of medical and nursing staff in Greece’s public hospitals has reached its peak in the last six months and it’s not only a problem of anesthesiologists. All through the summer, medical students doing their practice have been flooded even big hospitals in the Greek capital and the excuse is always “summer vacation of permanent staff.”
Summer vacations are over but the problem prevails, several people report to KTG.
It’s not the summer vacations but the official health ministry and government policy that does not hire doctors, but only makes short term contracts interns, pushing patients to private clinics.
