Union challenges PM over Zakynthos, Santorini clinics

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was told Thursday he was wrong to suggest that doctors and nurses are standing in the way of surgical procedures at hospitals on Zakynthos and Santorini.

The Panhellenic Federation of Employees at Public Hospitals (POEDIN) said that Tsipras had been badly advised by Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis, who the union blames for the prime minister claiming that staff may be trying to prevent surgeries from taking place at hospitals because they want to help private clinics on the islands. POEDIN said that there are no private surgeries on either island.

POEDIN, which has been involved in a long-running dispute with Polakis over healthcare issues, blamed the government and a lack of resources for problems in carrying out surgeries at the two hospitals.

In a related development, the Council of State has upheld the appeals of...