Alert SaveMe in Seconds in Greece
Hello! Don't panic
This page is created to help you react to any life threatening situation fast, safe and wise while you are in Greece
Insist in calling for help, "Help!" , in English and Greek. Listen how
1. If it's a medical emergency, here are the greek words to help you survive
2. You are likely not covered by your state or territorial health plan while travelling
It may cover nothing or a very small portion of the costs if you get sick or are injured while abroad, even though the Health System in Greece may provide much cheaper services than you ar used to in your origin country. Make sure that you have purchased travel insurance before you travel which will help you make your treatment as immediate as needed, especially under case of Health Emergency. This will also help you avoid large expenses such as the cost of hospitalization or medical treatment
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for Emergency Links, Alert Calls in Greece
for Emergency Links, Alert Calls in Greece
3. Always carry with you, 24/7, when you travel
- copies of your itinerary;
- travel documents; and
- contact information for your lodging,
- and your Embassy location in case Internet access is limited.
4. Be aware that there are multi-drug resistant bacteria in hospitals and other health care facilities especially in Greece, which ranks first in Hospital acquired infections in Europe
The percentage of cases declared with hospital-acquired infections in Greece is 9% ,(by 6% the European average) according to the most recent official data presented by the Greek Center of Disease Control on Novemeber 2013.
- In more than one out of two (50%) of the cases, the most common causes of hospital-acquired infections (Acinetobacter, Klebsiella and Pseudomonas) are multi drug resistant to the strongest antibiotics.
- In 75 out of the 108 hospitals of Greek territory that were involved in the study, cases of multidrug resistance infections were present not only in the Intensicve Care Units, but also allaround in other clinical sections and Departmements
- Greece is among the countries with the highest levels of antimicrobial resistance not only for the above microbes but also for other hospital pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus , enterococcus and the Enterobacteriaceae, while multi drug resistance on pneumonia infections is constantly rising.
Launched by the International Society of Travel Medicine, the Global Travel Search Clinic, is a program of clinics located in more than 80 countries around the world, which offer pre-travel immunizations, counseling and medicines to help protect travelers while traveling internationally.
4. Be Prepared, and informed, it's better to avoid visit the Greek Hospital
Be well ecquiped, informed and aware of any possible health emergency or health risk in Greece.
- Click at greek2m/ Travelers' Health for any urgent and priority information about communicative diseases in the area, like West Nile Virus infection, or Rabies, or malaria which is still endemic since 2012 in several areas of the country.
- Pharmacies may not exist close to your location, so be prepared efficiently by the most useful Travel health kit. On our special 4Greece Travel Healthkit page, created for a life-saving health kit IN GREECE, you will find 24/7 updated for Greece information for what to carry with you to be prepared for such an emergency in this country, and especially on the islands or in the sea.
- Some Embassies, as is the US Embassy in Greece provide a list of doctors for clinical visit , for cases that Hospital or emergency room is not necessary.
6. Asking for medical help on the islands might not be as simple, so be proactive
- Public medical clinics in Greece, especially on the islands, may lack resources and care can be inadequate by U.S. Canadian, Australian, or Swedish, let's say standards.
- Often, little English is spoken.
- Many patients-- Greeks and visitors alike-- are transferred from the provinces and islands to Athens hospitals for more sophisticated care.
Others may choose to transfer from a public to a private hospital within Athens or Thessaloniki.
Foreigners. citizens choosing to do so would arrange for an ambulance belonging to the private hospital to transport them from the public hospital
8. You may not find your prescription medication in Greece, so be prepared and take with adequate doses. Be aware of drug interactions and unknown generics
Insure that you have an adequate supply of your prescription medications always with you during your stay in Greece, and take care of any counterfeit drug or not safely tested generic which you might be provided while in Greece.
It si also possible that whikle you search for your well known medication, or internationally well known patended drug, the pharmacist in Greece tpo be completely unaware of waht is ecquivalent to which of the hundreds cheap generic drugs that have been approved in Greece to replace the patended list . Due to the austerity chaos that the financial crisis has brought to Greece it's possible pharmacistsd to be confused of whatever you ask, since many of them do not even speak English especially on small villages or isolated places or islands ,
for more information
For more information about your medications while being in Greece visit Your Medicines Page .
9.Blood donations closely monitored in Greece by the Greek CDC for HIV, Hepatitis, malaria and WNV in Greece. However, avoid blood transfusions or injections, unless it's an emergency
According to EU blood safety legislation, EU Member States must initiate control measures to ensure blood safety in the event of cases of West Nile fever. A major challenge for the implementation of this regulation has been the timely collection of accurate information about affected areas.
The Greek CDC (HCDCP, KEELPNO) reports its close surveillance on blood safety in Greece , not only for West Nile fever infetions, but for all communicable diseases that have made the public health system tha last years vulnerable to infections. Surveillance control on Blood donations becomes even more inensified in Greece during summer when the country is hosting the visitors of international tourism. Up to now no case of blood donations' infection has been detected in the country since 2010, the year that the West Nile epidemics in Greece first appeared, nor in malaria since 2O11, since malaria reemerged in the country
According to EU blood safety legislation, EU Member States must initiate control measures to ensure blood safety in the event of cases of West Nile fever. A major challenge for the implementation of this regulation has been the timely collection of accurate information about affected areas.
The Greek CDC (HCDCP, KEELPNO) reports its close surveillance on blood safety in Greece , not only for West Nile fever infetions, but for all communicable diseases that have made the public health system tha last years vulnerable to infections. Surveillance control on Blood donations becomes even more inensified in Greece during summer when the country is hosting the visitors of international tourism. Up to now no case of blood donations' infection has been detected in the country since 2010, the year that the West Nile epidemics in Greece first appeared, nor in malaria since 2O11, since malaria reemerged in the country
Medical Insurance Information you should have in mind on your trip to Greece
MEDICAL INSURANCE:
It is very important to find out BEFORE you leave whether or not your medical insurance will cover you overseas. You need to ask your insurance company two questions:
- Does my policy cover me when I am ABROAD/ OVERSEAS/ In Greece?
- Will it cover emergencies like a trip to a foreign hospital or a medical evacuation?
In Greece, as in many other places, doctors and hospitals still expect payment in cash at the time of service. If your insurance policy doesn't go with you when you travel, it is a really good idea to take out travelers insurance specifically for your trip.
If you plan to participate in even slightly extreme sports that are popular in Greece, such as SCUBA, white-water rafting, or water-skiing, you might consider adventure travel insurance options.
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European Health Insurance Card?
A free card that gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 28 EU countries, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country.
Cards are issued by your national health insurance provider.
Important – the European Health Insurance Card:
- is not an alternative to travel insurance. It does not cover any private healthcare or costs such as a return flight to your home country or lost/stolen property,
- does not cover your costs if you are travelling for the express purpose of obtaining medical treatment,
- does not guarantee free services. As each country’s healthcare system is different services that cost nothing at home might not be free in another country
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Registration for Canadians Abroad
SOS number for special emergencies, Contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre by e-mail at sos@international.gc.ca
or by fax at 613-943-1054
to all US Citizens During a Crisis Overseas by the The Department of State
via Task Force Alert, a free service
Attention
U.S. citizens experiencing an emergency that requires immediate medical or law enforcement response should contact appropriate local responders.
- more Travel.State.Gov
Australia
The registration information you provide will help us to contact or find you in an emergency - whether it is a natural disaster, civil disturbance or family emergency.
FOR STRANGE SYMPTOMS AND IMMEDIATE HELP iN CASE OF EMERGENCY
Send us a message.
By 24/7 coverage
the Greek2m will try to help
FOR STRANGE SYMPTOMS AND IMMEDIATE HELP iN CASE OF EMERGENCY
Send us a message.
By 24/7 coverage
the Greek2m will try to help
- Operations Center - Office for Risk
Assessment &Response to Public Health Threats
Call Center: +30.210.5212.000
e-mail:info@keelpno.gr
+30.210.5212054 (Operating 24h/7d)
- AIDS helpline: +30.210.7222.222
(operating daily from 09.00 to 21.00)
Remember, in short
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IMPORTANT NOTICE
Your Medicines may be not available here
IMPORTANT NOTICE
URGENT: Due to the severe austerity measures of the country, several medications might be difficult to be found Greece, especially on small islands, but even also in Athens or other big towns .It's important t to check for your medicines before starting your trip, and prepare your life saving emergency kit to feel safe at any step any moment.
Multiple drugs might be replaced by generics throughout the whole country.
Take care also of any counterfeit drugs
Health Care Providers Abroad
& International Medical Associations
& International Medical Associations
IMPORTANT NOTICE
URGENT: The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT) maintains an international network of physicians, hospitals, and clinics who have agreed to provide care to members while abroad by free membership.
Travelers who obtain evacuation insurance before travel may have access to available 24-hour hotline
for medical care
or emergency transportation according
to their evacuation insurance organization
For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad,
consult the infectious diseases section of
the World Health Organization (WHO) website,
which also contains additional health information for travelers,
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