Striking doctors protest in Athens over bailout reforms

Record ID: 348089

  • Title: Striking doctors protest in Athens over bailout reforms
  • Date: 2nd March 2017
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (MARCH 2, 2017) (REUTERS) STRIKING HOSPITAL DOCTORS AND WORKERS RALLYING OUTSIDE THE GREEK HEALTH MINISTRY AND CHANTING: (Greek) "TAKE BACK THE LAYOFFS" HOSPITAL CLEANING STAFF WEARING BLUE HOSPITAL UNIFORMS AND YELLOW PLASTIC GLOVES CHANTING WITH THEIR HANDS RAISED IN THE AIR PROTESTER WITH NOOSE AROUND HER NECK PROTESTER WITH NOOSE AROUND HER NECK / OTHER
  • Embargoed: 16th March 2017 17:12
  • Keywords: Greece doctors strike austerity protest reforms
  • Location: ATHENS, GREECE
  • City: ATHENS, GREECE
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Budget/Taxation/Revenue,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001669Q9MV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Greek doctors and hospital staff went on a nationwide strike on Thursday (March 2) to protest the impact of austerity reforms in the health sector.
    Hospital workers set their uniforms on fire outside the health ministry and placed nooses around their necks to symbolize that austerity policies are killing the health system.
    Protesters said thousands of jobs were at stake under the bailout reforms and changes to the social security system have left many people without access to health care.
    Health budget cutbacks have left hospitals understaffed and with supply shortages.
    The protesters also demonstrated outside the Labour Ministry before trying to reach the office of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras where they were blocked by riot police.
    Greece and its lenders from eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) resumed on Tuesday (February 28) a bailout review which has dragged on for months due to differences over labour and energy reforms and because of a rift between the European Union and IMF over the country's fiscal targets.
    To help break the stalemate, Greece last week agreed to pre-legislate economic reforms, including lowering the tax-free threshold.
    The leftist-led government of Alexis Tsipras which has been sagging in recent polls has promised relief measures to offset the social impact of the new reforms.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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