A 56-year-old woman died in the area of Chania, Crete, due to a power cut. She had been quadriplegic for 20 years and was living on mechanical support.
According to Greek news, the woman had a live-in nurse who was taking care of her, but at the moment of the incident she had stepped out to run some errands.
During that time, the Public Power Corporation of Greece (PPC) representatives visited the house to deliver a notice for the impeding power cut, because the 56-year-old woman owed 240 euros to the company. Since no one answered the door, the PPC team cut the power and left the notice on the door.
When PPC cut the power to the house, the oxygen supply machines continued operating normally for one hour, which is exactly how long they can run without power. However, it appears that the nurse returned to the house after the machine’s batteries had run out and realized that the woman had already passed away.
The woman’s family, rushed to the police department of Chania and filed a lawsuit against any person who was responsible for the woman’s tragic death.
A few months ago, on March 14 2014, the 56-year-old woman had made a public appeal in a local newspaper, after OGA (Agricultural Insurance Organization) had cut her pension and as a result she could not pay for her treatment.
Meanwhile, SYRIZA MP Georgios Stathakis, expressed his condolences to the family of the woman saying that he believes the case demands prosecution of those responsible. “Unfortunately, with an unwarranted and totally unacceptable and inhumane decision the privatized PPC cut the electrical power of the house and therefore the mechanical support that kept the woman alive. We consider that the public prosecutor intervention is necessary and express our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased,” he stated.
PPC also expressed its condolences to the family and the company’s spokesman stressed that: “We were given no information about the health status of the woman. Her family hadn’t even applied for the special status accorded to people on life support.”
Even though PPC announced last week that electricity rates would increase by 11% starting July 25, the company has also set different rates for some citizens, for example the unemployed or people who are on life support.
Due to the property taxes that were added to PPC bills, more and more households in Greece are finding it difficult to pay their electricity bills. According to PPC data, the total debt from unpaid bills amounts to 1.3 billion euros.
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