Hospital employee numbers shrink
Public health system staff levels have been deteriorating steadily over the last three years, according to data revealed yesterday, as union groups accused the government of going back on its promise to increase worker numbers in the sector. According to research presented by the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers (POEDHN), a large number of nursing, administrative and technical staff have retired or transferred to other government sectors and are not being replaced. The study, which focused on 42 public hospitals, 13 health centers and 11 welfare institutions, showed that in 2003 there were 28,920 people working in these services but the figure was 1,374 lower in February 2007. The biggest cut was among nursing staff, where a total of 500 positions have been left vacant. The cutback results in a shortage of one in every three nursing positions, according to POEDHN. The waiting time for emergency medical treatment can be more than three hours, while waiting lists for examinations are getting longer, said POEDHN President Stavros Koutsioumbelis. In response to the data presented, Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos pointed out that employment procedures for 6,000 additional nursing staff members will completed by the end of the month.
