North Greece left without air ambulance readiness base – Letter from Governor Topsidis to the Minister of Civil Protection

The Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Christodoulos Topsidis, has sent a letter to the Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, requesting the reconsideration of the transfer of the Air Ambulance Readiness Base from Kavala to Samos.

The Letter in Detail:
To the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Mr. Vassilis Kikilias

Subject: Change of Headquarters of the Regional Air Ambulance Readiness Bases.

Dear Minister,

We were deeply concerned to learn recently about the change in the headquarters of the Regional Air Ambulance Readiness Bases, as stated in Article 6 of Law 4989/2022, following the decision No. 173 F.105.3 issued by the Chief of the Fire Service, Mr. Vagi.

This decision abolishes the Readiness Base located in Kavala, which had been designated under Article 54 of Law 5075/12-12-2023 for the design and implementation of the National Aerial Rescue and Air Ambulance Plan (ESEDA), and moves it to Samos.

As a result, all the new Air Ambulance Readiness Bases of EKAB (National Center for Emergency Care) are transferred to Southern and Central mainland and island Greece, with the closest one to Northern Greece remaining in Anchialos, Magnesia, and in Western Greece, the base at Aktion.

Therefore, all of Northern Greece is left without any Readiness Base, leaving the entire geographical area unprotected operationally.

Dear Minister,

It is humanly impossible to rescue someone living in Northern Evros, as the time required to transfer them to the nearest point makes their rescue automatically impossible.

A border region that is universally recognized as the country’s northeastern fortress cannot, under any circumstances, be cut off from the rest of the country. Actions like this certainly do not contribute to the prosperity of the region, which the Prime Minister has repeatedly spoken about.

We kindly request that you reconsider the decision to transfer the Base from Kavala to Samos, as part of the efficient and effective operation of EKAB, and take all necessary actions. Alternatively, new sectors should be established to ensure full operational coverage of the entire country.

Attached is a map illustrating the current situation.