Cancer Patients Awaiting Treatment for Months

Due to the economic crisis, cancer patients choose to be treated in public hospitals, as they can’t afford the treatment in private health clinics. The waiting list, in state hospitals, for cancer treatments is long, and in some cases it exceeds even two months. Waiting time for radiotherapy treatment may be even longer, three or five months, while the situation regarding radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer is even worse. Due to personel cuts, hospitals don’t function properly. According to an article published by the Greek newspaper ‘Ethnos’, if someone tries to book an appointment for blood screening at the ‘G. Gennimatas’ hospital in Athens, he has to wait for about two and a half months. An appointment for a breast examination at the breast cancer clinic of the ‘Agios Savvas’ hospital may entail a month and a half  of waiting time. The situation at the University Hospital of Patras is much worse. Although the oncology department has a waiting period of approximately four days, the radioactive iodine treatment department waiting period ranges from four to six months. A similar situation is observed at the University Hospital of Ioannina, Western Greece, where although the oncology department faces no delays, radiation therapy department patients need to wait from 20 to 30 days. Waiting lists for cancer patients ‘Agios Savvas’, Breast cancer clinic: 45 days ‘G. Gennimatas’, Hematological clinic: 75 days ‘Evangelismos’, Radioactive iodine: 60 days ‘Agioi Anargyroi’, Radiotherapy: 60 days ‘Attikon’, Radiotherapy: 40-55 days ‘Metaxa’, Iodine therapy, 30 days ‘Papageorgiou’, Radioactive iodine: 50 days ‘University Hospital of Patras’, Radioactive iodine: 180 days ‘University Hospital of Ioannina’, Radiotherapy: 30 days  

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com