The incident took place on Friday 22 August, when the woman was pulled unconscious from the sea. Although lifeguards managed to keep her alive for around 80 minutes, repeated calls from bathers to the health centre went unanswered, with staff citing the absence of an available ambulance driver.
Chronic understaffing
Mary Agrogianni, a board member of the hospital doctors’ union EINAP, said the problem had been known for months, with residents and staff repeatedly demanding 24-hour ambulance coverage. The Aegina Health Centre has only three drivers for six positions, making full shift coverage impossible.
Another EINAP board member, Panos Papanikolaou, stated that the shortages had been flagged as early as November 2024, with memoranda sent to deputy health minister Irini Agapidaki and to health minister Adonis Georgiadis. He also noted vacant shifts among nursing staff, describing official inaction as unacceptable.
Government response
Georgiadis responded by announcing a Sworn Administrative Examination (EDE) into the incident. In a post, he wrote: ‘Although our unfortunate fellow human being was already without a pulse, this cannot be an excuse. Our duty is to give everyone the opportunity to fight their battle.’
The case has once again highlighted the human cost of chronic understaffing in health centres across the Greek islands and raised urgent questions about personnel management and the adequacy of public health services.
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