Corfu

Meets needs of only half population

By Penny Bouloutza - Kathimerini

Deputy president of the Union of Corfu Hospital Doctors and hematologist Antonis Georgopoulos says the Corfu Hospital is suffering from complete neglect and that «it is shameful to project this image of Greece to foreign tourists.» The hospital in Corfu should be able to cater for 120,000 people in the winter and many more in the summer. However, human resources, installations and equipment can only meet the requirements of half the permanent population and every year 3,000 Corfu patients are taken to hospitals in Ioannina and Attica. The hospital has 220 beds, 1.9 beds per 1,000 inhabitants, a ratio found in hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa. The hospital is housed in an old building (1964) and has been badly maintained while the equipment is aging and inadequate. A new hospital with more beds is being constructed.

Understaffing is a severe problem, in particular nursing, paramedical and technical personnel. On an evening and night shift there is one nurse for 45 patients that have undergone operations. As Georgopoulos said, there are in total 500 staff employed to meet requirements during the hospital's 24-hour operation when there should be 660 personnel.

Since April, the Health Ministry has recruited 52 nursing and administrative staff, of whom 16 are on permanent contracts.