Riot police fires tear gas at hospital doctors protesting privatization of Health

Dec.11, 2019

Greek riot police fired tear gas at hospital doctors in downtown Athens on Wednesday. During the clashes between protesters and police, an elderly person fainted.

the clashes started when unionists of the Hellenic Association of Hospital Doctors of Greece (OENGE) tried to enter the hall in Aigli Zappeion where the Panhellenic Medical Association (PIS) was hosting an event about the planned partnership between the private and the public health sector.


Ultimately, the protesters managed to enter the hall and interrupt the meeting, thus leading to its suspension..

The OGNE had launched a work stoppage from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The union of Public Hospital doctors blame the Medical Association leadership of being “at the forefront of promoting the government plans for the full submission of the public health” to the partnerships between Public and Private Health sectors and “the fall of public health by the big private interests.”

The union has described as “casus beli” the possibility that “private doctors will work at public hospitals, the management of technical-medical equipment will by run by private companies and the status of public hospitals will be transformed into the one of private companies.”

As example, they brought the developments of the British National Health System of the last years.

Published at https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2019/12/11/riot-police-tear-gas-hospital-doctors/