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Head of EKAB resigns after Samos incident

Head of EKAB resigns after Samos incident

The head of Greece's EKAB emergency ambulance service Dimitris Papagiannidis on Monday sent a letter of resignation to Health Minister Makis Voridis, citing an incident involving the ambulance service on the island of Samos as the reason for his decision.

In his letter, Papagiannidis said that the delayed response to a fatal accident on the island four days ago, in which the ambulance arrived on the scene with a more than 75-minute delay, had resulted in the death of a father of four.

"Just four days ago, an unfortunate 34-year-old father of four children lost his life in a sad road accident on Samos. The island's EKAB was unable to respond to the incident since the one ambulance (per shift) available was on its way to the airport to pick up a medical airlift incident. The same night, late from my office at EKAB, I issued a letter of condolences, not because I had to but because I felt sincerely the need to show support for the mother, wife and children of the needlessly lost young man... because I felt the need to explain to them the major personal (and only) efforts I have made to ensure that there is prehospital care on Samos and in many other areas of Greece," he said.

Referring to his work at EKAB, Papagiannidis stressed that "after 21 months in EKAB, I want everyone to know that EKAB is supported and doing well due to the superhuman efforts of its staff, since the doctors, nurses and rescuers are obliged to constantly and daily go above and beyond to cover the shortfalls in the provision of health services."

In his position as EKAB president, he added, he had done his best to match their efforts but faced "a multitude of difficulties and malicious intervention".
"The worst of all; while I did not have the required support I started to also be both challenged and openly sidelined administratively by individuals that I very much doubt desire EKAB to thrive," he concluded.