Greek islanders suffer from lack of doctors
Greece's small, remote islands are increasingly reliant on volunteer services. With no resident doctors on many of the islands, living in these idyllic spots can be a health risk.
A local man arrives to be examined by volunteer doctors of the Aegean Team, on the islet of Thymaina, Greece, May 11, 2017.
Known as the "Aegean Team," a group of volunteer medical staff travel by speedboat from Athens to provide healthcare to residents on Greece's remote islands.
After years of austerity, the public healthcare system in Greece has been particularly hard hit - with services reduced and reliance on volunteer services on the rise.
"In the winter, we depend on St. George, on the church. We pray that he keeps us safe, because we are neglected here, we're isolated," says Dionysia Amorgianou, an 83-year-old resident of the Greek island of Thymania, where its 150 locals haven't had their own permanent doctor for years.
TRT World 's Sara Firth reports.
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