Recently I had opportunity to experience the Greek National Health Service in action in Athens, at the level available to every citizen, and despite some hardship I was mightily impressed. This was somewhat unexpected...
Let me explain: I, like most Greek residents, have found through long experience -yes, I'm getting on a bit now- that most contacts with the state mechanism in whatever form is generally frustrating and unrewarding, ending in disappointment if not anger. Most state employees, secure from dismissal or, sometimes, even evaluation, often show complete indifference to their fellow citizens needs and requests, making life extremely difficult. Loads of bureaucratic procedures exist to keep the general populace in their place and to insulate, empower and protect the bureaucrats; anyone who has had to face the system will have stories, including horror stories, to tell. This leads most everyone to approach the system with apprehension, or even loathing.
Well, on an overseas visit over Christmas (the United Kingdom if you must know, nosey parkers...) I managed to contract one of the many forms of COVID, diagnosed on my return to Athens. This was treated according to prevailing advice and went away fairly quickly and painlessly, save for a bit of a cough with some sputum which sometimes had a bright light green colour. This I knew from previous experience and doctor's advice to be a bad sign, a sign of infection that could have serious consequences for my sensitive respiratory system. Antibiotics were needed pronto, to put a stop to this and to get a prescription I needed to go to a public hospital to be examined and assessed; I was assured this was dead easy.
A few days later I walked across to SOTIRIA (literal meaning: salvation) hospital, about a mile from where I'm currently living, as not only was it the nearest but also specialised in respiratory ailments. Unfortunately I made a crucial mistake and did not check its status as far a s being the duty hospital (it was!), so found queues in the emergency department. Still, my little priority ticket claimed that I had something like a thirty-five minute waiting time, which seemed not unreasonable. So I stayed and waited, and waited some more, and then some; intensely frustrated, I considered leaving after two hours but stayed on, telling myself to be patient. Emergency cases kept arriving on stretchers or otherwise, desperately ill people needing immediate care and pushing non-urgent cases like mine down the list, something I found completely understandable if frustrating; the same could not be said of some of the other waiting people, many of whom kept complaining bitterly, often in a rude manner, to the obviously inundated and overworked staff. I kept my mouth shut, though I desperately wanted to have a go at the moaners, and waited. It was five hours from the time of my arrival before I was seen.
I had expected a cursory examination, with a prescription speedily dispensed to get me out of the way; nothing could have been further from the truth. I was given a full and detailed examination, including blood tests, in an efficient and courteous manner by people clearly overworked and under pressure but not shirking their duties, nor losing their patience and professionalism. There was even evidence of a sense of humour, something not always evident in Greek public facilities, and plenty of understanding.
Sure, I had to wait a further two and a half hours before my results were ready to take away, so overall I ended up having spent over eight hours in this not especially pleasant and certainly stressful environment, but I walked away tired, yes, but surprised, pleased and mightily impressed. The men and women I witnessed manning (personning?) the front line were dedicated, efficient, willing, capable and civil in the face of serious, sustained pressure. They operated at a level equivalent to any western country even though the Greek economic meltdown of a few years ago left them under-equipped and, possibly, under-staffed. So for all I witnessed I salute, congratulate and thank them.
Yet not everything is perfect, or even good. The bureaucracy that supposedly underpins and supports the system is convoluted, inefficient, occasionally self-serving, self-satisfied and lazy, letting down everyone concerned, patients included. Admittedly they often have to work under pressure, but still... There is a lot of work to be done before this system can operate like a well-oiled machine, with this perhaps easier said than done. But surely this is worth striving for, as it will benefit everyone involved. And the Government of the day, irrespective of political affiliations, should aim to provide these good people with the means to continue improving the good work they so clearly do.
Finally I must congratulate myself, as I don't see you, dear reader, rushing to so do... After all, while not known for my patience and stoicism, I managed to spend nearly nine hours in a far from pleasant hospital environment quietly and politely waiting as directed, without strangling or even wishing to strangle a single person. Or no more than a dozen or so of my fellow patients... A veritable candidate for sainthood, wouldn't you say?
