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A complaint alleging racist and inhumane treatment of a foreign pregnant woman at a public hospital has emerged as the most disturbing case among 47 health-related complaints filed in November, according to a new report by the OSAK Observatory.
According to the complaint, the woman, who had been bleeding for days after a miscarriage, was taken to the emergency department of a public hospital but was refused examination because she was not a beneficiary of the General Health Insurance System (GeSY). Hospital staff allegedly demanded advance payment and displayed an offensive attitude, despite the seriousness of her condition.
The woman was eventually taken to a private gynecologist, where doctors determined she was at serious risk of infection and required immediate surgery. The complainant said no public health facility was willing to assist her due to her nationality and lack of insurance coverage, a situation described as reflecting systemic racism and a lack of basic humanity within the health system.
Broader problems in the system
The case appears in OSAK’s monthly overview of complaints, which recorded 47 submissions in November alone. Most complaints focused on ongoing problems patients say they face daily, including delays in treatment, long waiting times even after scheduled appointments, and difficulty securing visits with specialist doctors.
Medication issues were also among the most common complaints, particularly from former public employees who lost their entitlement to hospital cards. Several reported they are now forced to pay privately for medicines they previously received through the public system.
Other complaints highlighted services not covered by GeSY, as well as charges for care provided outside the scheme, often catching patients by surprise.
While many of the November complaints point to familiar frustrations within the health system, the allegation of racist treatment has sparked particular concern, raising broader questions about how public hospitals respond to vulnerable patients and whether equal access to urgent care is truly guaranteed for all.
Click here to read other complaints.
*Read the Greek version here.
