Adonis "refuses" to staff the hospital of Santorini
The major responsibility of the Minister of Health, Mr. A. Georgiadis, for the politics of the privatization of public health which keep closed the island's hospital, came to the fore again on the occasion of the heavy injury of three Americans and one Greek from the exploding of a firecracker.
The issue was brought the MP of Independent Greeks, Mrs. Marina Chrysoveloni, which denounces the Minister of Health for the non-functioning of this modern medical unit, which cost 13 million Euros. "There is a hospital ready in Santorini, but is not working, so the wounded had to be carried to Crete!" said the MP.
Just a few days ago, namely on 10 April, Mrs. Chrysoveloni had brought the matter to the parliament with her question to Mr. Georgiades. In her question the MP said that the building and the equipment of the hospital in Thera have been obtained exclusively by public funds belonging to the SA Health Units (AEMY). The AEMY, considering the responsibilities of non-operation of the hospital, talks about underfunding of the health ministry, as based on the Economic Report for 2012 the unit was planned to operate in 2013, with the condition to be issued the necessary governmental decisions, which obviously did not happen.
As for the nature of the hospital, AEMY says that it was built "to meet the care needs of the population of the island," but Mr. Georgiadis seems to disagree with that. For the Minister of Health, the hospital of Thera was constructed "in order to develop medical tourism and to operate under the private investor test"!
As pointed out by Mrs. Chrysoveloni in her question, the land for the hospital had been granted by the Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas provided to maintain the public nature of the hospital. The ownership of the hospital may change if the Department of Health maintains the view that expressed on November 2013, which "is unable to operate long-term"! It should be noted that the Ministry has declared "similar in-operability of health units" for a number of other health units, which are located in popular tourist islands.
Mr. Georgiadis replied that he is excluding this unit to operate as a public hospital, as requested by the local community of the island and is provided by the specifications. Indeed in his reply warned the residents that if they do not consent to the granting of the hospital through a partnership with the private sector "then undoubtedly will proceed in a solution via HRADF"!
"In other words, he is blackmailing the citizens of Santorini to accept the operation of the hospital by a private investor; otherwise this public hospital would be sold by Mr. Stournaras! After all these, becomes clear why there was no medical staff in hospital in Santorini to hospitalize the wounded and were transferred necessarily in Crete. It is also clear that the Minister of Health deliberately and systematically implements an extortionate privatization policy of Health against society", notes Mrs. Chrysoveloni.
Therefore, according to the complaint, Mr. Georgiadis, with the excuse that the current economic situation does not allow the Greek government to operate new hospitals, refuses to staff the hospitals builded with public money, in order them to be exploited by private investors.
Thus, a hospital that is a basic need for the people of Santorini, so to not depend on air-transportation to Crete or elsewhere, seems to be a "gold mine" for any individual that will take its operation with the "blessings" of Health Minister; in an island which figures among the most popular tourist destinations around the world...
