«When health is threatened, which is the ultimate public good, for me there is no state and private action. All actions are public as their mission for a time is national,» Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said yesterday afternoon, referring to the requisition of private clinics in Thessaloniki, during a teleconference he had with nurses who went to the capital.
The Prime Minister pointed out that he had said last April, in Parliament, that there are many ways for the public and private sectors to come together in this joint effort.
Mitsotakis had the opportunity via teleconference to thank the 17 volunteer nurses and one volunteer nurse, who travelled from Crete, Argolida and Komotini and are currently fighting the battle at the Ippokratio and AHEPA hospitals in Thessaloniki, next to patients with COVID-19.
During the discussion, the nurses asked the Prime Minister for political concern for the NHS, which will be equal to the sacrifice and self-denial shown by the health workers after years of difficulties. «We needed to hear what you said and we will do what we have to do,» Kyriakos Mitsotakis replied.
«Deep patriotic act»
The Prime Minister spoke about the choice of nurses to volunteer in Thessaloniki, stressing that «it is not just a noble act, it is a deeply patriotic act, and I want to congratulate you as professionals and as volunteers on the front line».
«At the time of the crisis, at the time when society - not the state - needed you, you raised your hand, you responded and I think this experience is an experience of a lifetime for everyone,» he added.
On behalf of the nurses, Bania Malamatis -who travelled from Agios Nikolaos in Crete to the Hippocrates Hospital in Thessaloniki- spoke and said that «we got all the credit but the workers in the hospitals of Thessaloniki deserve all the credit, they deserve a lot of credit, we have to say this and it has to be seen».
The Prime Minister stressed that the contribution of volunteers and all health workers proves that «responsibility and social solidarity are not just empty words», adding that it is the human factor that makes the difference.
There's the coronavirus and it's here
The volunteers emphasized that coronavirus is a real and dangerous enemy and called on citizens to assist in their work by observing precautionary measures.
«The coronavirus is not a lie, it's not fake news, it's something that exists, that spreads too quickly. Whoever defies it is making a very big mistake,» said Ioanna Patronidou, who arrived at the Ippokratio in Thessaloniki from Komotini.
In response, Mitsotakis said that we have to fight fake news, people who sometimes, uninformed or victims of some conspiracy theories, believe that all this does not exist and added that «it is very important to break the last reservations about how serious the crisis we are facing is».
He also referred to the problems facing the NHS and said that «there is no National Health System in Europe that does not face the same challenges that we face», stressing that even highly organised countries are forced to request the transfer of patients across borders, such as Switzerland, which sends patients to France «because Switzerland can no longer afford to treat them». «So it is important to say that we are facing something that we have not seen since 1919,» the prime minister said.
Strengthening the NHS with recruitment
Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that the government has doubled the number of intensive care beds, which now exceeds 1,200, and has strengthened public health structures with «massive recruitment», many of which will result in permanent appointments. Beyond this legacy, however, he stressed that the work of strengthening and upgrading the NHS will continue, noting that 170 permanent ICU beds are expected to join the system within the next two months.
«We did a lot of mass recruitment. My intention is that as many people as possible will be made permanent in the National Health System,» he said, adding that Greece is gaining a legacy for the next day in terms of staff and intensive care units. «We currently have more than 1,200 units operating in the country from where we received 567, and of course we will add more with the donation of the St. Francis Foundation. Niarchos Foundation, so that when we face the next flu, possibly the next pandemic - because at some point we may face this again - we will be much more prepared.».
«And let's not forget that the National Health System is not only here for Covid patients, it is here for all Greeks who get sick, regardless of their financial means. It is a public National Health System and it is our duty to make it as good and efficient as possible and even more humane, because it is humane. Its human face is above all you,’ Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
«A little more patience»
Talking to the nurses, the Prime Minister referred to the words they said to him, namely the need for citizens to be patient in this difficult phase and to comply with the measures to help their work. «This virus does not discriminate, it is an individual and collective battle that we all have to fight, we must observe the measures, we must listen to the experts. This thing really needs to be understood by all of us, we all need to be patient. To make a wall against this virus, so that we can stop it and we can all go back to our normalcy, »said Evangelia Apokoroniotaki, who traveled to Ippokratio coming from Rethymno.
«The message of the need to have a little more patience and to comply with the obvious measures that the State has indicated to us is very important to hear from you. And much more powerful when it is heard from you than when we say it,» the Prime Minister said:
«And I think we now have an additional weapon in our quiver: We now know that we will have available from the beginning of January vaccines, not even a vaccine, more than a vaccine, that work, that are safe and that are very, very effective. We have already done our planning for the mass vaccination of a significant percentage of the Greek population. The vaccine will be made available free of charge to everyone but there will be prioritisation and the first to get it will be the health workers, because you are on the front line, because you are the most at risk and because above all you need to protect yourselves so that you can help the patients who need you.».
