Editorial: The self-evident

It is perhaps tenable for any government to attempt to prettify reality, in its effort to gain the trust of citizens.

Yet, there are cases in which reality cannot be embellished, however many communications teams or government-friendly media are marshaled.

That rule applies par excellence to the health care sector.

No amount of embellishment can hide the fact that 100 extra cots are needed to conduct the shifts at Attikon Hospital.

Nor can one hide the fact that the hospital on the island of Cephalonia has suspended surgeries because of tragic shortages in nursing staff.

These are just two of the dramatic situations experienced by patients and their families, but also by those who serve the medical profession, at hospitals around the country.

Even worse, patients and healthcare professionals are experiencing these dramatic situations, even as the leadership of the competent ministry engages in social media battles with whomever they view as enemies, takes up the role of political commentator, and appoints a friend who is expert about tyres to manage a hospital.

It would be simply ridiculous, if it did not concern a sector that demands the utmost seriousness, and even greater care.

All that should have been self-evident – even for those who, when they are not prettifying reality, are badmouthing others in the social media and appointing their friends.