MP Zeybek calls for permanent solution to staffing crisis at İskeçe Hospital
Hüseyin Zeybek Warns Closure of Intensive Care Unit Has Become “Unacceptable Public Health Risk”
Greek MP Hüseyin Zeybek has called on the government to take immediate and permanent action to address ongoing staffing shortages and declining healthcare services at İskeçe General Hospital in northeastern Greece.
Speaking during parliamentary discussions on a Health Ministry bill, Zeybek criticized what he described as years of “systematic devaluation” of the hospital, highlighting the continued closure of its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for nearly five years.
“The weakening of İskeçe Hospital’s service capacity and chronic staff shortages must finally come to an end,” Zeybek stated.
The lawmaker argued that Greece’s public healthcare system is facing a deep structural crisis and said the system continues to function largely due to the sacrifices made by healthcare workers.
“Citizens Forced to Seek ICU Beds in Other Cities”
Zeybek stressed that İskeçe Hospital has been unable to provide intensive care services since June 2021, despite serving a regional population of approximately 110,000 people.
He described the absence of an operational ICU as “unacceptable from a public health perspective,” noting that critically ill patients are often forced to search for available beds in neighboring cities or even in Thessaloniki.
Zeybek also criticized comments by Greece’s Deputy Health Minister, who reportedly characterized the issue as merely a “local problem.”
Staffing Shortages and Service Delays
According to Zeybek, the hospital continues to face multiple operational challenges, including:
- Severe nursing shortages
- Heavy workloads for medical staff
- Inability of personnel to regularly take annual leave
- Staff transfers to regional health centers
- Reduced operational capacity in Urology and Surgery departments
- Lack of anesthesiology specialists
- Delays in emergency care services
The MP acknowledged that financial incentives introduced for the hospital’s Pathology Clinic had produced positive results, but warned that uncertainty remains after the incentives were not renewed for 2026.
Without permanent hiring policies and sustainable incentives, he said, the hospital cannot maintain stable healthcare services.
Call for “Concrete and Permanent Measures”
Zeybek urged the Greek government to prioritize healthcare staffing rather than relying solely on infrastructure improvements.
“Physical renovations alone cannot create real improvement in healthcare services without sufficient human resources,” he said.
He also pledged continued efforts to push for increased public healthcare funding, stronger support for doctors and nurses, tighter public oversight of pharmaceutical policies, and reduced medication co-payments for patients.
