Doctors On Board Ferries

A recent decision by the ministers of merchant marine and health and social services places “rural” doctors on a number of Greek ferry vessels. The doctors’ wages will be paid by the ministry of merchant marine, which has set aside a budget of 696,000 euros to cover expenses for 2007. Under the program, shipowners are obliged to provide each doctor with a private cabin and meals.

In special cases only, a doctor may be moved from one ship to undertake duties on another. Such special cases include the time when a vessel ceases itineraries on the programmed routes, and when a vessel modifies its itinerary and the route fails to exceed one hundred twenty nautical miles.

In such cases, the doctor is placed on the next immediate vessel provided that it has the base number of passengers, and provided the vessel is activated on a similar route and is not already staffed with doctor. If such a vessel does not exist, the doctor is placed on an available vessel of another route of his choice.

In a case where the shipowning company replaces a vessel with another, the doctor is placed on the new vessel.

The vessels that will host these doctors include: Express Santorini, Knosos Pallas, Blue Star Paros, Panagia Soymela, Preveli, Blue Star 2, Taxiarhis, Theofilos, Myrtidiotisa, Lato, Faistos Pallas, Anthi Marina, Blue Star Naxos, Marina, Pennelope, Mitilini, Crete II, Sophocles Venizelos, Island Mykonos, Ierapetra L, Lissos.