The president of the EKAV Workers Union of Kavala reveals that only one ambulance and 14 rescuers are called to deal with emergencies
The case of the 51-year-old tourist who was stopped on a beach in Thassos and died while waiting for the island’s only ambulance last summer shocked public opinion and tragically highlighted the degradation of the health system. Despite the government’s crowns to strengthen the EKAV, a year later the situation remains the same, intensifying the fears of permanent residents and tourists alike that other human lives will be at risk during the summer season.
As the president of the EKAV Employees Union of Kavala and vice-president of the Panhellenic Union of EKAV Employees Kostas Tsitsilikakis reveals speaking to AVGI, only one ambulance and 14 rescuers are called to deal with emergencies that arise on a 24-hour basis in Thassos. Despite their repeated appeals, the rescuers find that their requests were not heard and that for another summer the island remains “unarmored”.
Not a single recruitment in Northern Greece
Unfortunately, as K. Tsitsilikakis confirms, despite the government’s commitments to upgrade the EKAB, no effort has been made since last year to strengthen the staff and the fleet. In fact, while the government promised 800 recruitments to EKAV, so far «is running» only one announcement for 200 lifeguard recruitments and Northern Greece is excluded from it. Under these conditions, the only thing they rely on now is the invitation of interest to rescuers from other regions of the country who will want to staff the island, but this is not a permanent solution to the issue.
According to K. Tsitsilikakis, in order for the EKAV to operate in Thassos with decent conditions and to adequately cover the needs, there should be at least 20 rescuers-ambulance crews and two ambulances on the island winter-summer. In this way, the operation of a second base in the east of the island would be ensured, which is necessary in order to reduce the response time and also so that the island is not “orphaned” by an ambulance in cases where a patient needs to be transported to the Kavala Hospital.
Five times the population in summer
It is worth noting that Thassos receives thousands of tourists in the summer months, increasing its population fivefold and by extension the needs for health coverage. This apparently does not concern the government which, instead of proceeding with a brave reinforcement of personnel, has chosen to “patch” the vacant positions with military personnel who perform duties as “drivers” in ambulances. “I don’t think this happens in any other country in the western world, it was a patch in the general outcry that took place last summer because there were repeated incidents that exposed the country,” comments K. Tsitsilikakis.
“At any moment, a fellow human being can lose his life again while waiting for an ambulance,” he openly states, adding that “if it happened last year, why won’t it happen again this year, since the facts haven’t changed?”. This situation creates a particular insecurity both for the permanent population and for the visitors of the island, but also for the rescuers who will be called once again to go beyond their limits. The anxieties of the people and the people of EKAB seem to be shared by the municipal authority of the island, however the relevant decisions are taken by the central administration. In the meantime, silence prevails among the four government deputies of Kavala Prefecture, to which Thassos belongs.
