Greek Doctor’s Humanity For an Abandoned Infant Applauded

A Greek doctor was branded a heroine after she got into a CT scanner with an abandoned infant in an Athens hospital, as there was no one else to keep the child still.

Efterpi Konstantarogianni, a radiologist at the Children’s Oncology Unit of Marianna V. Vardinogianni-Elpida Hospital, ignored warnings about radiation exposure to enter the scanner. Her dedication to the Hippocratic Oath was commended by hundreds of social media users in Greece.

Konstantarogianni posted the related photo on Facebook, writing: “I thought it right [observing the Hippocratic Oath] to take the radiation together, as his mother would have done if she hadn’t given him up.

“If there is no love for the fellow human beings, whatever else we do is useless.”

She added: “I am doing this almost every every. I didn’t feel like I did anything different.”

The humanity of Greek doctor applauded

Doctors, the general public, and even politicians congratulated her for the act of humanity.

“I want to publicly congratulate the radiologist for her action. This is the national health service we deserve,” Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiades tweeted.

Konstantarogianni confirmed after the examination that the abandoned child was in good health.

According to the latest available data close to 40 percent of abandoned children in Greece are eventually returned to their families. The problem of abandoned newborn babies is of course nothing new. However, some say that there has been an increase of such cases since the economic crisis hit Greece.

Others claim that the reasons which lead mothers to abandon children are not primarily economic, but are due to their psychological condition, health problems, drug abuse or to changed circumstances relating to their partner.

Doctors in Greece face many challenges as the national health service is understaffed. Many remote areas of the country, and the islands in particular, struggle with a shortage of doctors, even in areas with high tourist traffic such as Tinos, Paros, and Ios.

The Hippocratic Oath

However, their dedication to the Hippocratic Oath is exemplary. The Oath is an ethical code that has been adopted as a guide of conduct by the medical profession throughout the centuries. It is still used during the graduation ceremonies of many medical schools across the world.

In the oath, doctors pledge first to not harm, to do their best to treat their patients, and also to live an exemplary professional and personal life.

For example, Greek doctor Anargiros Mariolis was named the best family doctor in the world for 2021 by the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA).

Dr. Mariolis, is the the head of the Health Center of Areopoli, located in Mani, the Peloponnese. The award is given to the best family doctor every two years, and WONCA carefully selects the recipient from thousands of doctors from across the globe.

The criteria for the prestigious award relate to the multifaceted aspects of family medicine, including the highest standards of care, exceptional bedside manner, the ability to make difficult yet important decisions in terms of patient care, and scientific and academic knowledge.

Related: Abandoned Babies Celebrate Their First Christmas in Greece’s Largest Maternity Hospital