A visit by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis to Attikon University Hospital in western Athens on Tuesday was marred by clashes between police and hospital workers protesting deteriorating conditions in Greece’s public healthcare system.
Hospital staff and members of the Athens-Piraeus Hospital Doctors Association (EINAP) gathered outside the hospital early in the morning to protest staff shortages, insufficient pay, and what they described as the ongoing privatization of public health services. Protesters chanted slogans and held banners calling for new hirings, wage increases, and the reopening of closed operating rooms.
According to witnesses, riot police (MAT) and other special units deployed around the hospital used tear gas and batons to push back the crowd as tensions escalated. The confrontation occurred shortly before the Prime Minister entered the building to avoid the demonstrators.
Tension between hospital workers and police outside Attikon Hospital during Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit, October 15, 2025. (Michalis Karagiannis / Eurokinissi)
Clashes during a protest by doctors and medical staff at Attikon Hospital during Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit, October 15, 2025.
Clashes during a protest by doctors and medical staff at Attikon Hospital during Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit, October 15, 2025.
Once inside, Mitsotakis and Georgiadis inaugurated the University Oncology Center “Athina Ioann. Martinou” and the 2nd Clinical Department of Propaedeutic Pathology part of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens at Attikon University Hospital.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attends the inauguration of the University Oncology Center “Athina Ioann. Martinou” at Attikon University Hospital, October 15, 2025.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attends the inauguration of the University Oncology Center “Athina Ioann. Martinou” at Attikon University Hospital, October 15, 2025.
Outside, union representatives said the timing of the ceremony was inappropriate given the hospital’s chronic problems. They reported that Attikon, one of Greece’s largest public hospitals, regularly faces overcrowding during emergency shifts, with up to 150 patients treated on stretchers in corridors. The union said the hospital is severely understaffed, noting that “at least 120 nurses are missing for operations to meet safety standards, while half the operating rooms remained closed”.
“Buildings are important, but what we need are staff hirings, better wages, and open operating rooms,” the union said in a statement.
George Sideris, president of the hospital workers’ union and of EINAP, told the crowd: “Today, 130 patients are waiting in corridors. When will they inaugurate the end of stretchers? When will they inaugurate wage increases and safe staffing levels?”
