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Eastern Crete hospitals lack anesthesiologists amid staffing crisis

Saturday, 27 June 2026/Source: CretaOne/1 min read

As of Saturday, June 27, 2026, hospitals across Lasithi prefecture in eastern Crete are operating without an on-call anesthesiologist or radiologist due to a critical staffing shortage. This affects all public hospitals in the province, including those serving the popular areas of Agios Nikolaos, Ierapetra, and Sitia. For tourists, this means that emergency care in eastern Crete is currently limited. Procedures requiring anesthesia or diagnostic imaging may face significant delays or require transfer to Heraklion University Hospital, the main facility in the region. If you are traveling in eastern Crete and have a medical emergency, call 166 (ambulance) and be aware that stabilization care may be available locally, but specialist treatment could involve a transfer westward. Travel insurance with medical evacuation coverage is strongly recommended.

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