Greek hospitals are having difficulties in providing basic medical supplies for their patients, including painkillers, scissors, and sheets due to budget cuts.
Huge cuts to the healthcare budget, amid the economic turmoil that made millions unemployed, have left more than 2.5 million Greeks uninsured, up from 500,000 in 2008, The Times reported.
The Syriza government scrapped the €5 fee for state hospitals, and healthcare spending fell by 25 percent since 2009. As a result, a shortage of medical equipment and medicines became a problem, and even nurses' salaries have been affected.
Patients have been declined in hospitals that no longer have tools for measuring high blood pressures, while others have to undergo medical procedures without painkillers.
A trainee surgeon at KAT, a respected state hospital in Athens, told The Independent that this dilemma is at a breaking point. "There is no money to repair medical equipment, no money for ambulances to use for petrol, no money to hire nurses and no money to buy modern surgical supplies," the surgeon added.
Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis warns that the country is in danger of running out of money in just a matter of weeks.
Athens plans to loan from Eurozone creditors in order to repay the IMF with €300 million by June 5, while another €820 million is also due days later. Creditors have not yet agreed to the loan.
