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The possible cases of coronavirus in tourists on the islands will be dealt with on the spot, according to the operational plan prepared by the Ministry of Health and revealed today by “Ethnos tis Kyriakis”. Summer visitors who arrive in our country will not be quarantined, nor will they be tested for the virus.
Therefore, in order to avoid air travel queues on arrival, as the means of flight are minimal, it was deemed appropriate to deal with possible incidents on the spot. In fact, the situation is expected to become even more difficult if residents or staff of health units and accommodation need to be treated.
In this context, the government is trying to spread a health “umbrella” against coronavirus on the islands of Greece in three areas, with 5 hospital-pillars and 29 ICU beds. More specifically, the plan includes a network of hospitals and Health Centers that will be interconnected, but will also be in direct contact with mainland Greece. Operation Coronavirus in the Summer will focus on the use of local health facilities so that incidents are dealt with on the spot or, if necessary, transported by ambulance to major hospitals on the mainland.
The three pillars on which the government’s plan will be based are:
Hospitals that have easier access to mainland Greece to transport cases or have ICU beds.
Hospitals without ICUs on islands.
Regional clinics and health centers.
The serious incidents
The five hospital-pillars that will be called to deal with the serious incidents and belong to the 1st axis are in:
Lesvos (5 ICU beds)
Samos (6 ICU beds)
Zakynthos (3 ICU beds)
Corfu (5 ICU beds)
Rhodes (10 ICU beds)
They are the only hospitals in the Aegean and Ionian that have ICU beds, a total of 29. These will be used for the treatment of possible serious cases. In Crete, the total available intensive care beds are 50. 25 in Heraklion, 7 in Rethymno, 8 in Lassithi and 10 in Chania. These hospitals in Crete belong to the 1st axis of the plan for the treatment of Covid-19 in the tourist season, as they have the opportunity to treat patients with coronavirus disease. The hospitals of the islands that have easier access to mainland Greece also belong to the same axis, in order to transfer the possible cases there. Among them is the Lefkada Hospital, from where, if necessary, patients will be directed to the University of Ioannina, from the reference hospitals for the coronavirus.
Cases with mild symptoms
The 2nd axis of the strategic plan incorporates the hospitals that are on the islands, but do not have ICU beds. In them, simple beds for Covid-19 will be developed, with a relative distance between them, while where possible, the clinics will be separated, in order to define an exclusively for coronavirus events. There are three main pillars of the 2nd axis: Chios, Kefalonia and Santorini. They are one of the largest hospitals on the islands, have organized clinics and can offer high quality health services to tourists who may be infected with coronavirus but will not need intensive care. The General Hospitals-Health Centers of Kythera, Ikaria, Lemnos, Kalymnos, Kos and Naxos belong to the same axis.
The role of health centers
The Ministry of Health is trying to staff the Health Centers with nursing and medical staff, as they have been abandoned in recent years. In fact, the employees of the public hospitals (POEDIN) had complained that every summer the Health Centers sigh with the shortcomings, due to which they could not face even a single simple incident. That is why the recruitments made in the middle of the pandemic are directed to the smaller islands and the Health Centers, so that they can deal with any cases, even at the initial level.
Covid Clinic in the cities
The reference hospitals in Attica will be on standby. If there are outbreaks of the virus on the islands with serious incidents, they will be transferred to Athens. It has already been determined for each reference hospital to have a whole clinic, which will remain free only for patients with Covid-19. Corresponding clinics have been established in large hospitals in the region, such as those of Ioannina, Larissa, etc.
Workshops in 20 areas
By the beginning of June, it is planned to create small laboratories, in which tests for the coronavirus can be performed. According to sources, the laboratory infrastructure has already been secured, which will be placed on 20 different islands. The selection of the islands where the test analysts will be installed will be based on traffic. Among them is expected to be Paros, for which the relevant preparation has already taken place. The aim is not to have to send the sample to big cities to see if it is positive or not, as this would create a lot of problems and delays in dealing with possible cases.
Appointment of a responsible doctor
Finally, on each island, and especially in large hotels, a responsible doctor (private sector) should be appointed, who will be responsible for the health of the accommodation. In case a patient with suspicious symptoms is found, the doctor in charge will be the one who will undertake the examination of the incident but also his management if the visitor is ill, until he arrives at the hospital.
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EKAB flying Ambulance are borrowed.
The mechanism for dealing with possible incidents in the summer – this is essentially the second wave of the corona, since according to the official positions of the ministers the first wave of the virus has already been completed – is based on the existing structures of the islands. Air travel, although common in our country due to its geographical distribution, is extremely limited in plan, according to high-ranking sources in “Ethnos tis Kyriakis”. This is because the flying ambulances are extremely limited and “borrowed” from the Army, since EKAB does not have its own. In particular, only one C-130 aircraft is available, since the second one was put into operation a few 24 hours ago, as the front wheel broke and it takes 3 to 6 months to repair it. EKAB can also use a military helicopter taking off from Elefsina, if not used. Also available are a helicopter in Rhodes and two more in Syros and Aktio, which do not fly at night. With the existing means, the airlifts that can be carried out – high-ranking government sources report to “Ethnos” – are extremely few. That is why the health structures have been given importance.
Source in Greek and main photo click on https://www.imerazante.gr/
