Arta General Hospital faces complaints over dangerous patient transfers

The Federation of Hospital Doctors of Greece (OENGE) has filed a formal complaint regarding dangerous conditions during the transfer of critically ill patients from Arta General Hospital. The federation has intervened with the Ministry of Health following reports from local doctors and the Epirus Hospital Doctors Union regarding patient safety risks.

According to the complaint, resident doctors are being required to accompany severe medical cases that fall entirely outside their area of expertise. In some instances, a single physician is tasked with transporting multiple critical patients simultaneously. One cited example involved a pediatric resident forced to manage two serious cardiology cases at once.

OENGE emphasizes that transporting intubated and critically ill patients is a specialized medical procedure requiring specific training, equipment, and nursing staff. The federation asserts that doctors should not be obligated to perform such transfers without a written, protocol-numbered order from the hospital administrator or medical services director. Furthermore, the federation is calling for the repeal of Article 93 of Law 4850/2021, which currently allows for the transfer of critically ill patients by doctors regardless of their specialty.