The death of a British tourist on the Greek island of Kalymnos has been blamed on the 'desperate state' of medical facilities, according to the country's union of hospital employees. Vivienne Taylor, 74, from Whitby, Oxfordshire, died earlier this month after she was forced to wait hours for transport to hospital due to a lack of ambulances at night.
Taylor was part of a group travelling on a yacht when she began complaining of chest pains late at night. When an ambulance was requested from the local hospital, none were available, and she had to arrange private transport. She was eventually picked up by a farm truck at 2am, by which time it was too late to save her. Doctors said she could have been saved if an ambulance with proper equipment and personnel had arrived in time.
Michalis Giannakos, head of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees (Poedin), said: 'This is a case of a British tourist dying needlessly because of the desperate state of medical facilities on Greek islands. The lack of doctors, basic equipment, ambulances and supplies poses a huge threat to thousands of tourists and our own citizens.' He added that foreign visitors encountering emergencies outside big cities are 'at the mercy of God'.
The incident highlights the severe impact of budget cuts on Greece's health system during its prolonged economic crisis, with shortages widespread due to austerity measures demanded by the EU and IMF. In rural areas, cardiologists are almost non-existent, and basic equipment like X-ray machines is lacking.
Last year, a similar incident occurred when a Briton needing surgery for a badly broken leg was removed from an ambulance and placed on a stretcher among cars on a ferry while being transferred from Paxos to Igoumenitsa, because the ambulance did not have a ticket for the boat. Health ministry officials acknowledged that even popular destinations like Santorini and Mykonos lack intensive care units.
