A hospital on the Greek island of Chios is considering transferring patients to Türkiye if necessary during a four-month closure of the island’s airport, raising concerns over access to emergency medical care.
Speaking to Greek newspaper Documento, Giorgos Koutsodontis, a board member of the Chios Hospital Employees’ Association, said the planned closure of Chios National Airport for infrastructure works could disrupt medical services and leave patients with limited options.
“If we are left with no other choice, we will go across to İzmir and make arrangements for patients to be taken there. If the Greek state cannot cope, we put our patients’ lives above everything else,” he said.
Koutsodontis noted that alternative travel options include taking a ferry from Chios to Çeşme on Türkiye’s western coast, followed by a flight from İzmir to Athens.
He emphasized that patients, particularly children requiring urgent care, must not be denied access to medical treatment because of the airport shutdown. “If someone’s child falls ill and there are no flights, are they supposed to leave their child here? They will cross over. There is no question about it,” he said.
Chios, located in the eastern Aegean Sea just off the Turkish coast, is one of the Greek islands closest to Türkiye. Chios National Airport is scheduled to remain closed from Nov. 15 to March 15 for infrastructure upgrades, potentially complicating access to medical facilities on the Greek mainland during the period.
