Crete News of April 2006 - Page 2

Cases of HIV through transfusions in Greece

It has become apparent that many hospitals in Greece lack basic equipment for testing blood for HIV contamination. One 38-year-old man gave contaminated blood in Athens, and this was passed on to two people, a 17-year-old girl with thalasaemia and a man of 36 suffering from heart disease, who are now HIV positive. After this revelation, it has emerged that Venizelio, one of the two main hospitals of Heraklion, is not equipped for molecular control of blood stocks. The Minister of Health, Mr. N Avromopoulos, former Minister of Tourism, has promised that the situation will be remedied as an urgent priority, and that he will bypass the usual bureaucracy in order to achieve this aim within two months.
The 38-year-old blood donor, meanwhile, is subject to a police enquiry as to whether or not he was aware of his condition

Halt to Operations in Agios Nikolaos

Agios Nikolaos Hospital will not be performing routine operations from last month, causing anger among many members of the public in the region who have been waiting for treatment.
From the 10th of April, until further notice, hospital managers decided that time off accrued by doctors and nurses should be taken immediately, making it impossible to carry out all but the most urgent operations. A lack of staff has caused the build-up of so much time being owed to hospital employees.
This news highlights the need for more trained medical staff in the public sector in Greece. Intensive care services are also hit, with the specialist unit working less afternoons than previously. There will be a new intake of nurses in June, although medics are saying that this will be insufficient to cover the shortfall in trained staff.
No operations scheduled for after the 10th of April will now be performed, although emergency cases will be treated, upon a decision being reached in each case by a medical committee.

Crete Tourism News: Pressure on Transport System as Hotel Owners Speak Out.

Movement to and from the port of Heraklion has doubled in April over the previous month, mainly due to the Easter influx, and the beginning of a tourist season that may prove to be one of the most successful over several years.
Two new fast boats “Flying Cat IV’ and ‘Superjet’ have begun service to Santorini, Ios, Naxos and Mykonos. More one day cruises have also been added to Santorini .
There will be a further increase in flights, also, with more charters arriving in the  island. The Director of the Pan-Cretan Association of Hotel Owners is asking for the speedy completion of a new airport at Kastelli, and has made representations to the Ministry of Touristic Development, Fani Pali-Petralia.

Further Tourism News from Crete

The Association of Hotel Directors is also asking for the simplification of bureaucracy to allow more Russians and Ukranians to obtain visas allowing entry to Crete, as visitors from these countries are making up an increasingly more significant section of the tourist market. They are also asking for the creation of a University Department for Tourism in Crete and the strengthening of the manpower of the Tourist Police Service with more and better trained officers. Finally, and most practically, the Hotel Directors have asked for a network of Tourist Information kiosks that would help travellers find the various sights and locations around Crete, and promote the life of the island away from the main tourist resorts.

• Crete News of April 2006 - Page 1
• Crete News of April 2006 - Page 3
• Crete News of April 2006 - Page 4
• Crete News of April 2006 - Page 5

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