Greek Doctors Warn of ‘Health Catastrophe’

 　　Doctors in Greece are warning of an impending¹ health catastrophe² brought about by the financial crisis. They say government cuts mean patients are unable to afford treatment, while hospitals are facing staff cutbacks and shrinking budgets for medicines. A study in the medical journal Lancet echoes the warnings, and says there are signs of a sharp rise in mental health problems and suicides.

　　The emergency ward³ at Evangelismos Hospital in Athens - Greece’s largest - and the flow of patients is relentless⁴.

　　Doctors say government spending cuts and rising unemployment are stretching services to breaking point.

　　Ilias Sioras, head of the doctors’ association at the hospital, said, “People cannot afford private doctors, therefore the numbers resorting to public  hospitals has risen, by approximately 25 to 30 percent. This has been verified by the [Health] Ministry⁵. Poor people have no money to pay for their healthcare and consequently come here. Then the volume of work grows on all levels. In the emergency wards⁶, in the laboratories, the surgeries and in the clinics. Secondly⁷, in Evangelismos hospital there is shortage in the nursing personnel.”

　　Tens of thousands of Greeks are losing their jobs and their private health insurance. The Health Ministry has started charging patients for more drugs - and many patients cannot even afford the $7 flat fee when visiting a clinic.

　　Sioras said there are further worries about the quality of supplies.

　　"The hospital authorities have negotiated with the medical companies and they’ve bought copies of the original medicines. These are of doubtful quality and especially with antibiotics⁸, we have witnessed the appearance of many allergies⁹ among patients.”

　　Outside Evangelismos, there was concern among patients over the cuts to healthcare.

　　One man said, “We are not satisfied, things are not going well, the hospitals are not going well. In Greece, if you don’t have money you die.”

　　Another blames the number of immigrants. “With the economic crisis - because of a cost-cutting - some things have been cut short,” he said, “but I think the biggest problem still is the 2 million illegal refugees who receive free hospital care.”

　　Workers at the Evangelismos Hospital suggest there has been a 10-fold rise in HIV cases among intravenous drug users. They blame cutbacks to government initiatives, like the syringe exchange program.

　　A report in the medical journal Lancet warns of a rise in suicides. Alexander Kentikelenis of Britain’s Cambridge University is one of the authors.

　　"We have been able to find reports by the minister of health and other officials quoting a 25 percent rise in suicides in 2010, and a 40 percent rise in suicides in the first half of 2011," said Kentikelenis.

　　The government denies there’s a health crisis. The director of Evangelismos hospital says the changes would benefit the system - calling it ‘restructuring.’

　　And some patients, like Antonios Sideris, still praise their treatment.

　　“I have cancer,” he said. I don’t have a financial issue because in my case, everything is free, the hospital and my medication. I don’t have to pay anything. I am satisfied with my care.”

　　But many doctors fear that level of care cannot be maintained.

　　Cardiologist Sioras, said, “That’s why we say that the situation in the hospitals will become tragic¹⁰, and if we don’t take measures against that and have no working solidarity¹¹, we will be mourning victims every day.”

　　Doctors like Sioras say that every day on the hospital wards, they are witnessing the human tragedies of Greece’s economic meltdown.

1 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

2 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

3 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

4 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 wards   

区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态

参考例句：

• This hospital has 20 medical [surgical] wards. 这所医院有 20 个内科[外科]病房。
• It was a big constituency divided into three wards. 这是一个大选区，下设三个分区。

7 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

8 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

9 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

10 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

11 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。