Only two nurses were on duty in the early hours of Wednesday in the department of the Psychiatric Hospital of Athens in Dafni, where the 47-year-old inmate was being treated when he took a piece of broken glass and killed the 44-year-old woman who had been admitted for hospitalization the day before.

In this particular department, the 10th psychiatric department for acute cases, a total of 31 patients were being treated, whom two nurses were responsible for managing at the time of the brutal crime.

According to available information, the 47-year-old, who had a history of another murder in the psychiatric clinic of the Corfu hospital, and before being admitted to “Dafni” had been held in the Korydallos prisons, was hospitalized in a ward with two other patients.

The rooms in “Dafni” are triple and even lack special security for patients not only under article 69 of the Penal Code but also individuals with dependencies, hyperactivity, and severe mental illnesses that could become dangerous.

Overall, 41 patients are being treated at Dafni under the application of article 69 of the Penal Code, 16 of whom are housed in hostels outside the hospital. Meanwhile, according to data from the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers (POEDIN), a total of about 200 patients who fall under this provision are hospitalized in psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric wards of general hospitals across the country.

Georgiadis: There was no issue of dysfunction in the wing where the 44-year-old was murdered

On his part, the Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiadis, stated this morning on SKAI’s radio that the wing where the 44-year-old was murdered in the psychiatric hospital in Dafni was renovated three months ago and there was no issue of dysfunction.

As Mr. Georgiadis pointed out, an internal investigation and a prosecutor’s investigation have been ordered regarding this tragic incident, and he explained that it is the decision of the attending physician as to where each case should be placed. “There are security levels depending on the case,” he said specifically.

Regarding this particular case, Mr. Georgiadis mentioned that the security ward of the hospital was empty.

He also emphasized that it is a fact that there is a problem of overcrowding in psychiatric hospitals, and in general, there is a shortage of staff in the NHS, particularly nurses.

Closing

As the minister said, the NHS is called to handle 85,000 cases per day.