Corfu Health Centres not equipped to carry out simple gynecological examination
Corfu Health Centre
20 Jan 2023
/ 21:49
CORFU. Melita Andrioti: Although it is not our responsibility, we have responded to the Corfu Town Health Centre΄s request for an ultrasound system.
The absence of the necessary equipment a the Health Centres is causing great inconvenience to hundreds of women in Corfu as they do not have access to a simple but necessary examination.
Those women who wish to have a vaginal ultrasound either have to wait up to two months to undergo the examination at the Corfu Hospital or they will have to dig deep into their pockets in order to do it more quickly at a private diagnostic centre.
Only the Corfu Town Health Centre is able to acquire the required equipment for now, since it is the only one of the other health centres on the island that has a gynaecologist.
"Health care facilities must be able to respond to simple and necessary examinations. But when it cannot provide the simplest thing, inevitably those interested will either have to go to a private individual and pay €50 for the examination or make an appointment at the hospital and be served after two months. We are reaching a point where prevention could eventually become diagnosis," the Corfu Town Health Centre gynecologist and National Health System Doctor's Union President Nikos Polizos told Enimerosi.
No access
He said that in the two years he has been working at the Health Centre, he has served 3,400 women, but they did not have access to this particular examination that can detect potential gynaecological problems.
"We had informed the former Deputy Regional Governor for Health Mr. Zorbas about the matter and we only received promises that it would be included in a funding programme. At the same time, the hospital has an ultrasound machine by a donation which it is not using and it does not give it to us," he pointed out.
The process begins
At the end of the year the Ionian Islands Region received a request from the Corfu Town Health Centre to purchase the machine. As the Deputy Regional Governor for Health Melita Andrioti told Enimerosi, the request was approved and the machine was included in the Region's 2023 budget.
"Although it is not our responsibility, we have responded to the request and we have prepared the contract that we will sign with the 6th Health Region, while we have also received the approval. We are now waiting for the Ionian Islands Region's 2023 budget to be approved by the Decentralised Administration in order to continue the process," said Mrs. Andrioti.
Those women who wish to have a vaginal ultrasound either have to wait up to two months to undergo the examination at the Corfu Hospital or they will have to dig deep into their pockets in order to do it more quickly at a private diagnostic centre.
Only the Corfu Town Health Centre is able to acquire the required equipment for now, since it is the only one of the other health centres on the island that has a gynaecologist.
"Health care facilities must be able to respond to simple and necessary examinations. But when it cannot provide the simplest thing, inevitably those interested will either have to go to a private individual and pay €50 for the examination or make an appointment at the hospital and be served after two months. We are reaching a point where prevention could eventually become diagnosis," the Corfu Town Health Centre gynecologist and National Health System Doctor's Union President Nikos Polizos told Enimerosi.
No access
He said that in the two years he has been working at the Health Centre, he has served 3,400 women, but they did not have access to this particular examination that can detect potential gynaecological problems.
"We had informed the former Deputy Regional Governor for Health Mr. Zorbas about the matter and we only received promises that it would be included in a funding programme. At the same time, the hospital has an ultrasound machine by a donation which it is not using and it does not give it to us," he pointed out.
The process begins
At the end of the year the Ionian Islands Region received a request from the Corfu Town Health Centre to purchase the machine. As the Deputy Regional Governor for Health Melita Andrioti told Enimerosi, the request was approved and the machine was included in the Region's 2023 budget.
"Although it is not our responsibility, we have responded to the request and we have prepared the contract that we will sign with the 6th Health Region, while we have also received the approval. We are now waiting for the Ionian Islands Region's 2023 budget to be approved by the Decentralised Administration in order to continue the process," said Mrs. Andrioti.
