Shortage of doctors on islands

Of all the islands of the Cyclades, only Naxos has a pediatrician affiliated with state health system EOPYY leading patients to private doctors who are doing great business. As Ta Nea writes EOPYY affiliated gynecologists, urologists, and cardiologists are endangered species on Ios, Mykonos, Paros, Santorini and Syros.

The Ministry of Health according to the report, in an effort to staff rural clinics on remote islands, plans to enlist retired doctors and relevant legislation is being routed which gives them the right to write prescriptions.

According to ministry sources, the work will be voluntary and will be limited to medical examination and prescribing, giving medical access to residents whose access to health units is obstructed.

Also in order to resolve the problems of health on islands, the creation of "task force" composed of doctors, paramedics, nurses, psychologists, social workers and midwives that will intervene in the Aegean is being examined as an alternative for solving the problems.