Dozens of doctors on call to ease flu burden
A network of doctors in Athens who will be on call 24 hours a day to see people with suspected cases of swine flu in order to assist state hospitals went into operation yesterday. Some 180 doctors are taking part in the scheme, which will see them examine patients with mild symptoms of the H1N1 virus in their private surgeries. They will also be on call to visit patients at home out of hours or if they are not able to make it to the examining room. Under the scheme, patients will have to pay for being looked at. Athens has been split into five zones and the details of the doctors on call in each zone are listed on the Athens Medical Association’s website (www.isathens.gr) and on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (KEELPNO) website (www.keelpno.gr). Meanwhile, government-appointed experts are due to decide on Thursday when to start a mass inoculation drive.
