Hospital Doctors and Health Workers Stage 48-Hour Strike Over Shortages and Pay
Hospital doctors across Greece launched a 48-hour strike on Thursday to demand higher wages and improved staffing in the country’s struggling public health sector. The strike was organized by the Federation of Hospital Doctors’ Unions (OENGE) and includes a rally outside the Health Ministry in Athens on Friday.
“The mobilization marks an escalation and a response to attempts to sugarcoat reality,” said OENGE President Yiannis Galanopoulos. “They portray us as a minority of ‘miserable’ people who complain for no reason. But it’s not our attitude that’s miserable – it’s the reality we experience every day in the hospitals.”
Public hospital workers have also joined the nationwide walkout and plan to march from Mavili Square to the prime minister’s office and Parliament during the protest.
“Patients suffer and their lives are at risk due to systemic inadequacies,” stated the hospital workers’ federation POEDIN, adding that “despite modern equipment, there are not enough hands to operate it.”
In addition, private medical laboratories across Greece will close on Friday as part of a separate protest against the clawback funding policy.
Author’s Summary
The 48-hour strike by Greek hospital staff highlights deep frustrations over pay, staffing shortages, and structural issues in the country’s public health system.