The recent dismissal of the trade unionist doctor at St. Sava Hospital, Kostas Katarachias, is not the only case of a health worker who has found himself «paying», after a year of hard work in the very difficult conditions of pandemic. Investigations, summonses to testify, criminal prosecutions and fines have been ordered against other health workers, the majority of them trade unionists, including the president of OENGE Afroditi Regiou, the president of PDEDIN Michalis Giannakos, the president of ENITH Daphne Katsiba and others.
«It is an industry of persecution, without even keeping up appearances», had said the Daphne Katsiba on tvxs.gr's «Kokkino» show in early February, while the dismissed trade unionist doctor at "Agios Savvas" Kostas Katarahias spoke to tvxs.gr about an attempt to influence the judiciary on the part of the government in order not to accept the request for a temporary suspension of his dismissal.
This was preceded in the winter by a summons for an anonymous testimony for a meeting on September 24 outside the Ministry of Health to the president of OENGE (Federation of Hospital Doctors« Associations of Greece), Afroditi Reggiou. "The government has started an industry of persecution against us. There are dozens of cases of authoritarianism, blackmail and threats from the administrations that do not see the light of day.», the president of OENGE, Afroditi Regiou, had told the radio station «In Red» at the beginning of February. «For them it's always someone else's fault, the people who don't wear the mask, the doctors who caught the virus and denounced their working conditions, etc.’, the doctor had added.
A few days later (30 September), the president of PDEDIN (Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers) was prosecuted for a meeting of PDEDIN at the same place, Michael Giannakos. «We are waiting for the call in order to go and testify», Mr Giannakos told us, in a brief telephone conversation we had with him.
The prosecution of doctors - trade unionists in northern Greece
Despite the enormous effort they made last autumn to limit the losses and suffering of people to the minimum possible, given the circumstances, doctors from northern Greece have been targeted by their hospital administrations and the judiciary, mainly due to their interventions in the media.
More typical without a doubt the intervention of the prosecutor after a statement by the president of the Union of Hospital Doctors of Thessaloniki, Daphne Katsiba to SKAI, on the eve of the anniversary of the Polytechnic, in which the doctor had said that ENITH would consider participating in a commemorative meeting for the anniversary.
A few hours after she had received the relevant summons from the prosecutor, on February 5, Ms. Katsiba had spoken on the radio show of tvxs.gr at Kokkino: «This (the possible participation in the march for the Polytechnic) was the pretext. It was a planned and targeted attack. The real reason was that the hospital doctors of Thessaloniki and ENITH, very documented, with concrete data, were destroying and still destroying the false image that the government was giving about the hospitals and health centres of northern Greece. They wanted to cover up the tragic responsibilities of the government for the explosive situation that has been created. With the government parroting as a vehicle, this move was made.».
Of particular interest is the fact that the president of ENITH received a summons from the Thessaloniki Security Department for the protection of the State and the democratic constitution. In fact, the intervention of the prosecutor seems to have taken place a few hours after her appearance on television. Ms Katsiba has given a statement and is awaiting the development of the case.
For his statements about the situation that prevailed in November at the hospital AHEPA, the hospital administration has referred the doctor Thanasis Sioulis to the Justice. The hospital's doctor, a member of the ENIF Board, had stated that the on-call service of AHEPA starts without any free covid ICU bed and that screening for admission to the unit is done.
As Mr.Sioulis himself said, speaking to KONTRA, on the same day the hospital administration issued a press release in which it refuted the doctor's words, saying that the on-call service starts with seven empty ICU beds. «The number was not a coincidence. It referred to the relevant decisions taken hours after our statements this morning and the meetings held with the relevant colleagues and management officials. One unit, specifically cardiac surgery, was also converted to a unit for coronavirus patients.».
At the request of the management of AHEPA, at the expense of Mr. Souli, is now under investigation for spreading false news and incomplete commission of crimes.
Similar is the case of the representative of the employees of the General Hospital of Giannitsa, Simos Fostipoulos. Mr. Fostiropoulos had given an interview to a local newspaper in the prefecture of Pella in which he had spoken about the staff shortages faced by the hospital and had made a number of proposals in order to help improve the situation. «And right now I am thinking about how I will position myself because I don't know what will happen to me,» he told KONTRA, recounting his story.
In the same prefecture but in the hospital of Edessa, a preliminary investigation has been ordered against the president of the workers' union Eleni Stavroulaki, also for an interview he had given to a local media outlet. «In that interview, I praised the efforts of the staff and I had simply mentioned that some hospital infrastructure could be better prepared», the head nurse told tvxs.gr.
In Evangelism the administration cuts salaries
Immediate disciplinary sanctions up to fines of up to 15 days' wages, without prior administrative examination imposed by the administration of «Evangelismos», according to a complaint made to KONTRA by the resident doctor at the largest hospital in the country, Nikos Skoufoglou.
«We impose a penalty of a fine equal to fifteen (15) days» wages for your misconduct in being summoned to apologize for indecent and aggressive behavior towards the Deputy Governor and for the insubordination you displayed during your apology. In addition, we recommend that you be more careful in your behavior towards the representatives of the hospital administration," reads a document presented on KONTRA24 and signed by the Governor Anastasios Grigoropoulos.
This document concerned a colleague of Mr. This document concerned a colleague of Mr. Skoufouglou, who has been fined five days' wages. The doctor described in detail the incident for which the fines were imposed, with the other panelists wondering about the severity of the penalties. Mr Skoufouglou said. similar fines have been imposed on cleaners and waitresses.
It was even mentioned that this particular deputy governor, Herodotus Vamvourelis, had been appointed by the SYRIZA government and remained in his position despite the change of government.
