Kos Society of South Australia effort to donate ambulance in Kos delayed by Greek bureaucr
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
The Kos Society of South Australia “Hippocrates” got caught in Greece’s bureaucratic red tape when they tried to donate a modern ambulance to the National Centre for Emergency Care (EKAV) in Kos.
Their goal was simple. To improve emergency response and patient transport on the island. What wasn’t simple was the process of making it happen.
According to Kos Society of SA’s Honorary President and General Secretary, Manolis Koutelas and President Theodoros Nikitaras, the deposit for sending the Mercedes Benz ambulance, equipped with modern medical gear, was made in December 2023.
“We were told the ambulance would arrive in Kos by June or July (2024). But months passed – August, September… Unfortunately, Greek bureaucracy delayed everything,” Nikitaras told Neos Kosmos.
Almost a year later, in November 2024, the $132,000 ambulance finally reached its destination. But not for long.
“Eventually, it was sent to Kos in November 2024, but they took it back again. We’re still waiting to be notified when it will be delivered,” Nikitaras said.
The EKAV service in Kos requested the vehicle be sent to Athens for inspection by the relevant committees to confirm its registration number and verify the medical equipment.
Nikitaras expressed hope the ambulance would be delivered to the island before summer in Greece, to meet the increased demand for health services and emergency response during the tourist season.
The cost of this operation was both financial and psychological for everyone involved, especially Koutelas, who played a key role in getting the ambulance to its destination.
“They put me in a very tough spot, and I’m still fighting through it now,” Koutelas told Neos Kosmos.
He questioned how the Greek Ministry of Health could allow just one ambulance with a crew on an island “with 50,000 residents in winter and 250,000-300,000 visitors in summer.”
Koutelas attended the handover ceremony in Kos, where the ambulance was officially given to the island’s ambulance service, with Metropolitan Nathaniel of Kos and Nisyros, local authorities, and around 70 others present.
“I had to postpone my tickets and delay my return to Australia by about two weeks to be present for the delivery,” said the second-in charge president.
He said he recently tried to reach authorities in Athens by phone to inquire about the ambulance’s return to the island.
“They didn’t respond due to people being away for the (Christmas) holidays.”
After contacting a Mercedes-Benz representative, he was told the ambulance would remain in the company’s store until it was handed over to the ambulance service for inspection by a qualified committee.
The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health would then complete the necessary procedures and give the final approval for the vehicle’s registration.
The Association’s initiative to improve emergency medical services and patient transport on the island was prompted by the death of a 63-year-old woman in 2023.
She passed away in a Ute while being transported to the hospital in Kos, as the only available ambulance was already responding to another incident.
“We decided to make a donation to our island because they were struggling (with a lack of ambulances). We saw on Greek channels here that a woman died in the back of a truck because they didn’t have time to take her to the hospital,” Nikitaras said.
After selling the association’s building, Koutelas explained the bylaws required the funds to be donated “to charitable institutions in both Adelaide and Kos.”
“We couldn’t keep it (building) because there are now very few of us Koans in Adelaide. Many have passed away, and others have grown old or become sick. We simply didn’t have the strength to maintain this hall where we once held social events.”
The association has supported organisations and institutions in both Adelaide and Kos, with donations totalling $780,000, said Koutelas.
In Adelaide, the association has provided financial support to ten nursing and research institutions, along with two Greek nursing homes.
In Kos, the association contributed funds for:
-The installation of two cooling chambers at the Agios Nektarios Nursing Home
-The construction of a shrine and the installation of two air conditioners at the newly built Holy Church of St. George
-Three air conditioners for the Holy Church of St. Paul in Kos
-Support for a school for children with special needs.
The original article: belongs to NEOS KOSMOS .
