What if something happens to me?
Hospital in Heraklion
Written by: Julia Milaki
There are two hospitals in Heraklion. Both of them belong to the government and are part of the National Health System (Ε.Σ.Υ). Also, both of them are teaching hospitals and they are part of the Cretan Medicine School which ranks number 3 in the universities of Greece. They are situated in two different areas of the Heraklion prefecture and they work in shifts regarding the on-call emergencies. The on-call duty is on a daily basis for 24 hours starting at 8 am.
Always busy around the hospital in Heraklion
If you pass outside the hospitals, you will notice that it’s always very busy as the many parked cars already suggest. The reason why it is so busy is that there are always a lot of family members present to take care of the patient.
It is not common that the nurses or doctors take care of the patient, besides the necessary medical care. The system is based on the fact that the family takes care of cleaning the patient as well as the bedding. Also administrative aspects need to be taken care of by the family.
It is also very common for the Greek culture to pay visits to the people that are in hospitals in order to cheer them up or offer some help. Visiting hours are very specific but unfortunately this is something that the Greeks don’t keep.
Knowledge is there, only the environment is different
Specialists and doctors have the same knowledge and qualities as in western European countries, only the working environment looks a bit different. The buildings look old and not been taken care of, lack of basic equipment and medical supplies, lack of personnel, broken cabinets in the passage, people smoking in the ward or the balconies, screaming kids next to your bed are just a few examples of the circumstances in a Cretan state hospital.
It’s the same situation all over Greece though. Still, the doctors and the nurses working in the public hospitals are full of pride and ethics for trying to practice medicine under such difficult circumstances and they go all the way to treat patients professionally.
The insurance to be helped in a hospital in Heraklion
There are also private clinics which are neat and things are organized according to our norm. However the ‘normal’ civilian or farmer needs a better insurance to get treated here, which is usually financially impossible.
This insurance is usually a private one and it can cover all expenses in case of being treated in a private clinic. People pay an amount of money to the company that will help them get a solution to a problem faster. If for example you need to have a surgery as fast as possible, you can have it in the private clinic as soon as they have an opening and the private insurance will cover the cost. In case you choose to have it in the public hospital, the nearest date you will get is in 2-3 months time. So, the Greeks say that if you want your job to be done fast, you must pay for it.
City walk Heraklion – GPS audio tour.
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Of course there are medical centres too. They are situated in almost every touristic area and in the areas that are far away from the nearest hospital, e.g. the mountain villages. Medical centres can either be public and you are treated there for free or private ones where you can use your public health insurance for the basic costs but you need to pay a small extra amount as well.
In touristic areas, all tourists have a privilege to be treated in the private medical centres only by using their travel insurance or private health insurance. In all circumstances, in case there is a major problem that needs to be treated right away, patients are sent to the nearest public hospital or the private clinics.
The two main insurances; IKA and TEBE
There is a difference between the health insurance from IKA and TEBE. IKA is for everybody working for a boss and TEBE is for independent business owners. If you want to be treated completely for free with IKA insurance, you must make an appointment through the specific office. These appointments can be up to 3 months because of lack of doctors, lack of personnel and big population. These doctors will send you to public hospital in case of a surgery and this is also totally free.
TEBE insurance had the possibility of choosing your doctors outside the IKA health system. Nowadays, greek government tries to improve the National Health System and make it equal for everybody but it seems that we still have long to go.
Venizelio HOSPITAL
Λεωφόρος Κνωσσού 44,
71409 Ηράκλειο, Κρήτης
Tel: 281340 8000
University Hospital in Heraklion
Βούτες Σταυρακίων
Iraklio 711 10, Greece
Tel: 2813-402111
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