Patients on small islands at mercy of weather conditions
death
14 Dec 2022
/ 10:02
CORFU. The death of the 75-year-old Paxos woman has highlighted once again the problems faced by those living on small islands.
Patients on the small islands in the Corfu region are at the mercy of weather conditions as highlighted by the death of a 75-year-old woman from Paxos on Saturday. Due to adverse weather conditions it wasn't possible to transfer her to the mainland - neither the coastguard water ambulance nor the Air Force helicopter from Aktion were able to approach the island.
Eventually the woman had to be transferred by a small private speedboat to Plataria harbour, where she was picked up by an ambulance but died before they reached Ioannina Hospital. Paxos Health Centre did whatever it could to immediately arrange her transfer off the island but the Coordination Centre told them it wasn't possible to send either a water ambulance or a helicopter due to the Force 8-9 winds.
The water ambulance in Corfu cannot go out when the winds are stronger than Force 6 and the helicopter in Aktion cannot fly in these weather conditions after sunset.
A boat owner in Paxos came forward and offered to take the woman to the mainland accompanied by a doctor from the Health Centre and they set off on Saturday evening. The patient died in the ambulance, however, on the way from Plataria to Igoumenitsa Health Centre, where death was confirmed.
Igoumenitsa Port Authority is conducting an investigation and the woman's body was taken to Ioannina University Medical School for an autopsy.
The woman's death once again puts the spotlight on the primary needs of residents of isolated areas and the need to find a solution for emergency cases when weather conditions are adverse.
Ionian Islands Regional Governor Rodi Kratsa told Enimerosi that, together with the Ambulance Service (EKAB), they are looking into the possibility of acquiring a catamaran like those used in Northern European countries. "We are looking into the possibility of acquiring them for the coastguard and the Ambulance Service," she said. "I would like to remind you that during the Ioanos storm as well a helicopter couldn't fly due to the weather conditions." She added that the Regional Authority couldn't insist that the water ambulance be used when the Coastguard had forbidden it.
Paxos Mayor Spyros Vlachopoulos told Enimerosi that it seems hard to believe that rescue vessels and aircraft can only operate when winds are Force 6 or less. He added that on the following day, when the weather had improved slightly, the coastguard was able to transfer a pregnant woman and that it should have been able to do the same on Saturday as there wasn't a big difference in the strength of the winds.
"They have operated in bad weather conditions before," Mr Vlachopoulos said. "The conditions weren't extreme, just bad. It was completely unacceptable that they didn't transfer her." According to Paxos Health Centre Director Michalis Kantas, the local community wants Paxos Port to have a vessel stationed there which can make transfers. He said that approximately 200 patients a year need to be transferred off the island and several of these are during the winter using whatever means are available.
Reactions
There was a strong reaction from Corfu SYRIZA MP Alekos Avlonitis, who said, "SHAME on our country for someone to die without any help from the state just because she happened to live on an island well-known throughout the world - Paxos."
Corfu KKE party said that the incident laid bare the state of the state mechanism, which sooner or later would have ended in tragedy. In its statement the party said: "Unfortunately, it is not the first time something like this has happened. In this day and age lot of patients have had to wait until winds drop before they can get the medical care they require."
Corfu ND MP Stefanos Gikas insisted that there was no negligence from the water ambulance crew, the helicopter crew or EKAB.
Eventually the woman had to be transferred by a small private speedboat to Plataria harbour, where she was picked up by an ambulance but died before they reached Ioannina Hospital. Paxos Health Centre did whatever it could to immediately arrange her transfer off the island but the Coordination Centre told them it wasn't possible to send either a water ambulance or a helicopter due to the Force 8-9 winds.
The water ambulance in Corfu cannot go out when the winds are stronger than Force 6 and the helicopter in Aktion cannot fly in these weather conditions after sunset.
A boat owner in Paxos came forward and offered to take the woman to the mainland accompanied by a doctor from the Health Centre and they set off on Saturday evening. The patient died in the ambulance, however, on the way from Plataria to Igoumenitsa Health Centre, where death was confirmed.
Igoumenitsa Port Authority is conducting an investigation and the woman's body was taken to Ioannina University Medical School for an autopsy.
The woman's death once again puts the spotlight on the primary needs of residents of isolated areas and the need to find a solution for emergency cases when weather conditions are adverse.
Ionian Islands Regional Governor Rodi Kratsa told Enimerosi that, together with the Ambulance Service (EKAB), they are looking into the possibility of acquiring a catamaran like those used in Northern European countries. "We are looking into the possibility of acquiring them for the coastguard and the Ambulance Service," she said. "I would like to remind you that during the Ioanos storm as well a helicopter couldn't fly due to the weather conditions." She added that the Regional Authority couldn't insist that the water ambulance be used when the Coastguard had forbidden it.
Paxos Mayor Spyros Vlachopoulos told Enimerosi that it seems hard to believe that rescue vessels and aircraft can only operate when winds are Force 6 or less. He added that on the following day, when the weather had improved slightly, the coastguard was able to transfer a pregnant woman and that it should have been able to do the same on Saturday as there wasn't a big difference in the strength of the winds.
"They have operated in bad weather conditions before," Mr Vlachopoulos said. "The conditions weren't extreme, just bad. It was completely unacceptable that they didn't transfer her." According to Paxos Health Centre Director Michalis Kantas, the local community wants Paxos Port to have a vessel stationed there which can make transfers. He said that approximately 200 patients a year need to be transferred off the island and several of these are during the winter using whatever means are available.
Reactions
There was a strong reaction from Corfu SYRIZA MP Alekos Avlonitis, who said, "SHAME on our country for someone to die without any help from the state just because she happened to live on an island well-known throughout the world - Paxos."
Corfu KKE party said that the incident laid bare the state of the state mechanism, which sooner or later would have ended in tragedy. In its statement the party said: "Unfortunately, it is not the first time something like this has happened. In this day and age lot of patients have had to wait until winds drop before they can get the medical care they require."
Corfu ND MP Stefanos Gikas insisted that there was no negligence from the water ambulance crew, the helicopter crew or EKAB.
