The injury of a doctor in Patras, following a collision between her car and a passing suburban train, has raised alarms among her colleagues. The tragic incident, which occurred on the evening of Saturday 19 April, after she had been working nearly 30 hours non-stop, has drawn widespread condemnation of the Greek healthcare system's working conditions. Many are calling the accident a clear case of an "occupational injury," triggered by the appalling levels of overwork and exhaustion faced by doctors, especially in provincial hospitals.

The “Union for Change”, issued a statement condemning the Ministry of Health, the Workplace Welfare Inspectorate, and the government for the “deplorable working conditions and excessive on-call shifts” that doctors, particularly in rural areas, endure. These conditions, they argue, put the physical safety of medical staff at risk.

A broken system

“This is clearly an accident that resulted from the working conditions,” the statement reads. “The colleague was returning home after an excessively long shift without rest. We condemn the Ministry of Health, the Workplace Welfare Inspectorate, and the government for these inhumane working conditions which put the physical integrity of our colleagues at risk.”

This is not an isolated incident, according to the union. They cite several other recent cases of medical professionals being pushed to the brink of collapse.

“The death of a porter at the General Hospital of Nikaia last Friday, while working a double shift, is a reminder of how the system is failing,” they write. “Just recently, another colleague fell asleep at the wheel after exhaustion, driving back from work in Serres to cover a shift in Drama. We also remember the case of a trainee who fainted from exhaustion and fell from a great height, only surviving by chance.”

One of the most shocking cases involved an anaesthesiologist from Thessaloniki, who suffered a stroke due to the relentless demands of her shifts. These incidents paint a grim picture of a healthcare system stretched to its breaking point, with doctors and other medical staff routinely pushed beyond their limits.

A call for accountability

The union has pointed fingers at both Hellenic Train and OSE (the Greek railway company), highlighting the frequent accidents involving trains in urban areas like Patras. What has further inflamed tensions is the decision by the public prosecutor to arrest the doctor who was injured, holding her as the primary culprit in the accident.

“It is outrageous that the prosecutor ordered the arrest of our colleague, who is still in the hospital with multiple injuries, as the cause of the accident,” the union’s statement continues. “Furthermore, the government’s propaganda machine has been quick to vilify her on social media, calling her ‘careless’ and ‘dangerous.'”

The union is calling on medical associations and the National Federation of Greek Doctors (OENGE) to take a firm stance, condemning the minister for his role in pushing doctors into illegal working hours that endanger their well-being.

The injured doctor’s husband, Giorgos Stasinopoulos spoke about his wife’s overwhelming exhaustion from working across multiple hospitals in Corfu, Zakynthos, Kefalonia, and Pyrgos.

“She’s lucky to be alive. I know what I’m talking about, being a retired paramedic myself,” he told the Greek TV network OPEN. “She’s at the limit of her endurance, and she has been contemplating resigning from the National Health Service (ESY).”

Stasinopoulos, who described his wife’s physical injuries, including damage to her chest, liver, and shoulder, shared that she has no memory of the accident. “She doesn’t remember anything. She didn’t even realise what happened,” he said, emphasising the dire state of mental and physical exhaustion in the healthcare sector.

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