Huge healthcare gaps – How many doctors are missing from each island?

PDEDN research on the islands that are understaffed

So, for yet another summer there are many shortages of health workers on the islands, The following data are indicative and concern several islands, but not all and not all the shortages.

Syros Hospital

This is the reference hospital for the Cyclades, where:

• In the autonomous Emergency Department (ED) of 4 organic positions of doctors there are none and the doctors of the clinics cover them.
• Pathologists serve 3 of the 6 posts
• Cardiologists serve 2 of the 4 postsAnesthesiologists serve 2 of the 4 posts
• Nephrologists serve 2,
• No dermatologist,
• Surgeons serve only one permanent and the hospital still cover
  2 by moving.
• In the nursing staff there are 40 vacancies and the shifts are covered only by nursing assistants.

Naxos

• Radiologist serves no one
• Microbiologists serve 2 and there are uncovered days due to the operation of the blood donation department
• Anesthesiologist serving a
• Surgeons serve 3 other surgeries are not performed (only orthopedic surgeries are performed)
• Gynecologist serving a
• Ophthalmologist one
• ENT one and there are shortages of other staff such as technologists and manufacturers.

Kos

The situation is better than last year, but not good enough to cover islanders and tourists.

• There are 2 GPs on a block contract and a permanent GP is expected (up from none last year)
• Cardiologists serve 3 up from one last year.
• There is a problem in the surgical area since the permanent specialist left and the hospital is covered with 2 surgeons by transfer.

Santorini

• Pathologists serving 2 with a blockchain
• Cardiologist serves one and is covered by travel.
• There is one pediatrician on duty.
• No microbiologist is serving and efforts are being made to have the hospital covered by individuals.
• In general practitioners the hospital is covered by transfers of 2 NHS doctors from primary care and 2 block doctors.

There is good coverage in other key specialties better than last year.

Lemnos

There are serious problems in the surgical sector.

• There's a surgeon on duty on a block
• Anesthesiologists serving 2
• Cardiologist serves only one
• There are 2 internists, one of whom covers cardiology in the Emergency Department
• Ophthalmologists serve 2 of whom one is absent on statutory leave.

Rhodes

The hospital has developed two 70-bed pathology clinics and has a total of 5 pathologists, two of whom are retired.

In fact, one of the two pathology clinics was left with only two pathologists.

There is also a severe shortage of healthcare assistants and nurses with technical and university education.

Leros

• There are 3 GPs on duty of which one is on extension and one is a patient.
• Cardiologists serving one resident and one from a primary care unit who comes 7 days a month
• Pediatrician serves only one
• Anesthesiologist serving a
• Microbiologist serving one and
• Psychiatrist serves one for the new mental health network.

Kythera

There is no pathologist at the Kythera Hospital. The pathology cases and the pathology clinic are covered by the one and only general practitioner on duty.

There's no orthopedist, no gynecologist.

Karpathos

There is no radiologist on duty and the ultrasounds are done in the private sector. The x-rays come out without consultation and are seen by the doctors of each specialty. The radiology department works Monday through Friday morning and afternoon. It is closed on weekends and nights.

There is also an internist and two general practitioners.

All the main specialties (surgeon, paediatrician, anaesthesiologist, microbiologist, orthopaedist, ophthalmologist, dentist) have one doctor each.

Tinos

Serving in Tinos

• a pediatrician,
• a microbiologist and
• an orthopedist from qualified doctors.

There is neither a GP nor a general practitioner.

By 15 July a GP and GP were expected to move, but there has been no update on new moves.

There are also 9 rural doctors

There is no manufacturer and they only have one technologists.

Milos

In Milos by doctors qualified to serve:

• 3 general practitioners and
• an orthopedist.

There are also 5 rural doctors.

• The island has no paediatrician in the NHS,
• they don't have a cardiologist,
• they don't have a midwife.

There are 3 nurses serving and 2 on rotation.

It is staffed by a preparer, a health visitor and two technologists. The maintenance technician has retired.

To staff the ambulance there is one permanent driver, one auxiliary and 2 on shift. They have a hard time covering the shifts. There is also an ambulance driver with an ambulance engine on the move.

Ios

In the NHS of Ios there are:

• 1 general practitioner,
• 1 cardiologist,
• 1 orthopaedic surgeon and
• 2 rural doctors, one of whom is finishing his term of office at the end of the month.

They come in with rural commuters and fill gaps.

Also 15 days a month a pediatrician comes and covers with a move.

There are 2 permanent and one auxiliary nurse, while there is one more nurse on transfer.

There is a radiology operator on call 24 hours a day. When there is no mobile operator, a nurse takes x-rays.

There is a midwife who does nursing in the morning and a maintenance man who does everything. Everyone on duty does everything.

For the operation of the Ambulance there is only one permanent rescuer serving and 2 others came with a transfer. The three are doing 24 hours endlessly to get the shifts out, as ECA sectors to operate an ambulance in three shifts wants 11 to 12 rescuers. And on the islands with less than half of them they are trying to cover pre-hospital care.

Amorgos

There are only 2 doctors serving as general practitioners from a general medicine movement. There is also a general medicine specialist and 4 rural doctors.

Active nurses serve 3 and one is not working nights due to health problems.

There are also 3 other nurses serving who are missing on statutory leave and 1 who has transferred.

Lefkada

Some days a month the paediatric clinic is not staffed by a paediatrician.

There were 4 paediatricians serving, one was recently moved to another hospital and of the three remaining, one is missing with statutory leave.

There are also uncovered days by surgeons because there are 2 permanent and one with a block.

It also serves

• 1 pulmonologist
• 1 neurologist and
• 1 ophthalmologist.

There are also large gaps in nursing staff, paramedical staff as well as in support services (cleaning, catering, kitchens, etc.)

Cephalonia

There are only 2 GPs serving, one permanent and one on a block.

Anesthesiologists serve 2 instead of 4 and one states that she will resign at the end of the year due to job exhaustion if more anesthesiologists are not hired.

As a result, the 5-bed ultra-modern ICU from a donation continues to be closed for years due to shortages.

The Mental Health Center is not covered by either a psychiatrist or a child psychiatrist.

Corfu

There are 2 GPs on duty who cannot cover the pathology clinic and the Special Infection Unit which is filled with pathology cases.

In the emergency departments, the pathology emergencies are covered by general practitioners and a retired block physician.

In the Radiology Department there are 2 doctors and to cover the needs of the radiology department 3 doctors were hired with a block and the CT scans are given in a private laboratory.

There are also large vacancies in nursing which reach 45% of organic posts.

In large clinics with 35 to 40 inpatients, only one nurse in each clinic is on night shift. For 6 clinics there is one ward assistant.