A 74-year-old British woman died on the island of Kalymnos on September 3. The Panhellenic Federation opt Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN) issued a statement alleging the woman might have been saved if an ambulance had been available to transport her to the island hospital. The woman was on a yacht when she felt ill a little past midnight on September 3. The crew contacted the hospital for an ambulance to be sent and pick her up, but were told there was no night shift and that they would have to seek another means of transport to bring her to the hospital. Finally, a private citizen transported the woman in his SUV vehicle to the hospital at 2 am. The woman died upon entering the hospital. The body has been sent to Rhodes for an autopsy, while the Prosecutor’s Office of the island of Kos ordered a preliminary investigation being carried out by the Kalymnos Port Authority.
The statement by POEDIN points out that the island of Kalymnos, which has 16.000 permeant residents, a number which rises significantly during summer does not have a night shift ambulance.