Cuts leave hospitals at the mercy off robbers

The Health Ministry has instructed hospitals around the country to beef up security after a recent spate of robberies exposed serious lapses in security.

Recent robberies at the Aghios Savvas hospital in Athens, the University Hospital of Larissa and the general hospitals of Volos and Lamia in central Greece will cost Greek taxpayers hundreds of thousands of euros to replace the expensive equipment and supplies stolen from the premises.

Police are also said to be working with Interpol to explore the possibility that the robbers are working under the instruction of medical institutions outside the country.

According to Michalis Yiannakos, head of the Federation of Public Hospital Workers, the budget for security at hospitals across Greece has dropped by 50 percent in the last seven years.

"Large hospitals have been left with a bare minimum of security...