Prior to the May 6th elections, the minister of health, Loverdos, announced undocumented migrants were to no longer receive any treatment in public hospitals in Greece. In response, hospital doctors issued, through their union body, the following statement

source in greek

Doctors: “We will treat undocumented migrants. No to Loverdos’ credentials to the [Nazis of the] Golden Dawn!”

The decision of the Minister of Health [at the time] Andreas Loverdos to ban the treatment of those who are illegally in the country, with the exception of emergencies, has caused havoc in the medical community.

Hospital doctors decided to ignore the order by Loverdos, accusing him in turn that with this order he tries to give his …credentials to the supporters of the [Nazi] Golden Dawn.

After the decision of their union (OENGE), doctors will continue to treat undocumented migrants as normal. In an issued statement, OENGE says: “hospital doctors declare, for an n-th time, to the impenitent minister of health, that they shall not renounce their medical profession and turn themselves to guards of humans instead, that they shall not concern themselves with the skin color, the gender, the origin and legalising documents of any human requiring examination and treatment”.

The head of the OENGE, Dimitris Varnavas, clarifies in some stark words: “If Mr Loverdos wishes to satisfy his political obsessions or give his credentials to the supporters of the Golden Dawn, he has the capacity do so in any ways -not, however, by exploiting the professional responsibility and dignity of hospital doctors.

We announce, therefore, that we shall completely ignore the recent, pre-electoral instructions by Mr. Loverdos and that we shall continue practicing the medical profession as commandeered by our oath and medical conduct”.