“Attikon”: New negative record in hallways – How many patients were found in the corridors

Without any fault of the hospital staff, as emphasized by Michalis Giannakos, President of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers (POEDIN), “Attikon” set a new negative record for hallways, highlighting a particularly serious and dangerous situation within the healthcare sector.

The hospital was forced to set up 150 stretchers in its hallways, which is equivalent to creating a second hospital within the same “Attikon” facility.

This situation has caused great upheaval and desperation among the employees, who are experiencing extreme pressure conditions.

As Mr. Giannakos points out, nurses, doctors, and other staff are under constant stress, with many collapsing from exhaustion, fainting, or being forced to take sick leave.

Many are even considering resigning, pointing out that despite its large capabilities, “Attikon” Hospital is trying to cover the flaws and gaps caused by the understaffing of peripheral hospitals.

Mr. Giannakos stresses that Attikon Hospital is not to blame for the immense pressure, which mainly arises from the understaffing of peripheral hospitals and the concentration of cases from other regions in Athens.

He mentions that 50% of the patients who come to the Emergency Department and are hospitalized come from other areas of Greece. Many patients choose to bypass nearby hospitals and end up at Attikon, due to the specialized medical services it offers.

This phenomenon has resulted in the overloading of the hospital, drastically increasing the demand for staff and resources. If immediate measures are not taken, Attikon Hospital will face serious operational problems, warns the President of POEDIN, stressing that the employees of Attikon should not bear the burden for the dysfunction of peripheral hospitals.

This year has been particularly difficult, with the seasonal flu subsiding, but the hospital being flooded with pathological cases that continue to overwhelm the Emergency Department and inpatient beds. This pressure makes the hospital’s operations extremely difficult.

As for the solution, Mr. Giannakos proposes a series of measures to help improve the situation. The first step is to increase incentives for employees, including salary raises and inclusion in the heavy and unhealthy jobs category.

At the same time, the need for the permanent employment of contract workers and the hiring of permanent staff is immediate, as fewer than 10,000 applications were submitted for the last healthcare staff recruitment, while contract and auxiliary workers, who number around 20,000, are afraid to apply due to their low wages (800 euros per month) and the high rents in major cities, making their professional future uncertain.

Mr. Giannakos emphasizes that the remedy for restoring healthcare in Greece includes increasing public spending on health, strengthening primary healthcare, staffing peripheral hospitals, and making the staff permanent.

These measures will allow the system to function more effectively and reduce the pressure on “Attikon” and other central hospitals.

“The situation at ‘Attikon’ is now explosive and requires immediate intervention. If the appropriate steps are not taken to strengthen healthcare, the system risks collapsing, with serious consequences for employees and patients,” he concludes.