St. Arachovitis: «Health workers in Laconia are at their limits»

Neither the huge health crisis of the last two years, nor the thousands of deaths of our fellow citizens, nor the constantly increasing needs in human resources and medical equipment seem to sensitize the Ministry of Health, which systematically turns a deaf ear to the protests of health workers throughout the country, and especially in the Region, with Laconia being a typical example.

All PHC structures in the Prefecture of Laconia -K.Y. Vlahiotis, Sparta, Neapolis, Kastoria, Ythio and Areopolis - have been experiencing for months a suffocating situation due to the tragic shortage of staff, forcing the health workers to exhaust their resources, as they try to cover endless overtime and shifts, to accommodate the vaccination programme, sampling and testing for coronavirus, in addition to the daily tasks of consultations, prescriptions and emergencies.

This serious problem with the lack of staff in the PHC structures in Laconia brought today with a Question to the Parliament, the MP of SYRIZA-PS St. Arachovitis, Requesting permanent recruitment of doctors and nurses in the primary health care structures of the county, as well as and the  rearrangement of the health map of the health service in Laconia with the regional and rural clinics.

Below is the full text of the Question:

QUESTION

To the Minister of Health

SUBJECT: «Serious problem of staff shortage in the structures of Primary Health Care in Laconia»

The complete devaluation and degradation of the Health System by the current Government is a common practice. Neither the huge health crisis of the last two years, nor the thousands of deaths of our fellow citizens, nor the ever-increasing need for manpower and medical equipment seem to sensitize the Ministry, which systematically turns a deaf ear to the protests of health workers throughout the country, especially in the Region. A typical example is the situation in the primary health care structures in Laconia.

At the Vlahiotis Hospital, since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and until today, the nursing staff has overextended itself, reaching a point of exhaustion of its forces, so that it can offer its services, both in regular and emergency cases. The situation has been particularly worsened since the operation as a vaccination centre from February 2021, with health workers being forced to work overtime to carry out the vaccination programme for Laconians, as well as after participating in the home vaccination programme.

Following the retirement of 2 nurses, the staff of the Centre now consists of only 4 permanent staff, 2 one-year auxiliary staff, one of whom cannot fulfil her nursing duties, but only assists in the work programme, and the second person is facing serious health problems which have resulted in her being on sick leave from January on a regular basis. Consequently, the monthly schedule is hardly covered by four people working consecutive shifts, which makes it impossible to cover the 24-hour shifts on weekdays, weekends and holidays.

The picture is similar in most other Health Centres of Laconia. The Sparta Health Centre, with minimal permanent staff, supports the vaccination programme, home vaccination, sampling and testing for coronavirus in addition to the daily tasks of consultations, prescription and emergency cases.

The Health Centre of Kastori is also understaffed and barely manages to cover only one morning shift. The programme is covered by doctors with parallel duties and a rural doctor.

The Neapolis Health Centre has lost a significant part of its human resources due to retirements and retirements, with the result that the existing staff exceeds itself and now works under suffocating conditions in a remote area.

The Health Centre of Gythio and Areopolis rely on non-permanent health personnel for their operation. Auxiliary staff and rural doctors cover to a considerable extent the operation of the Health Centres and much more so of the regional clinics.

• Because Primary Health Care in the response to the pandemic was at the forefront of the health battle,  

• Because the operation of the PHC is crucial to absorbing the pressures on hospitals,

• Because the permanent staff in health care today is now less than in 2019, before the pandemic,

• Because the health staff are already at the limits of their strength, 

The Minister is asked:

1. It will proceed to permanent recruitment of doctors and nurses in the PHC structures in Laconia?;

2. Intends to review and not to proceed with redundancies unvaccinated personnel and how will the gaps that have arisen in the PHC be addressed?;

3. It will proceed to the redeployment of the health map of primary health care in Laconia with the Regional and Rural Clinics?;

4. What is the political project of the Ministry of Health for the completion of the reform of the PHC, for the development of the institution of the family doctor and the Local Health Units (TOMY);

O Member of Parliament