A 55-year-old nurse died after collapsing while on duty at a hospital in Nafplio, Greece, with the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers (POEDIN) releasing a statement saying that intense pressure during an emergency situation contributed to the incident.
According to POEDIN’s statement, the nurse suffered cardiac arrest after assisting in the treatment of a child who had been seriously injured in a traffic accident. The federation said hospital staff immediately responded to the emergency, even though the Nafplio hospital was not on duty at the time.
The injured child was stabilized and later transferred to the hospital in Argos for further care, according to the statement.
POEDIN alleges tension and pressure inside emergency department
POEDIN said that relatives of the injured child created a tense atmosphere inside the hospital, with the federation stating that people in the emergency area were shouting and verbally abusing staff.
“Unable to withstand the pressure, the 55-year-old colleague suffered cardiac arrest and, despite the efforts of the medical staff, she did not recover,” POEDIN said in its announcement.
The federation described the nurse as a “very good and beloved colleague” and said her death highlighted the pressures faced by healthcare workers.
Federation calls for respect toward healthcare staff
In its statement, POEDIN stressed that patients and their companions do not always have the right to direct their frustration at hospital employees, noting that healthcare workers also have limits.
The federation expressed condolences to the nurse’s family and called for greater respect toward medical staff working in hospitals and health services. It also referred to the nurse’s personal tragedy, noting that she had lost her child three years earlier and that her family had donated money collected in memory of her child to the hospital.
