Tragedy in Nafplio: Roma cause chaos at hospital, nurse dies
A 55-year-old nurse in Nafplio, Greece died from cardiac arrest after dozens of Roma relatives stormed the hospital emergency room following a traffic accident involving a critically injured child.
A tragic incident that has shocked the community occurred in Nafplio. A 55-year-old nurse collapsed and died from cardiac arrest following the tension created at the hospital by dozens of Roma escorts.
The event began when the hospital received five injured people from a traffic accident in the area. Among them was a minor child with serious injuries. Doctors managed to stabilize the child’s condition and transferred him to the hospital in Argos.
However, during the management of the situation, dozens of relatives and escorts stormed into the area creating great turmoil. Only two nurses were on duty during that shift. The 55-year-old woman, who had lost her child three years earlier, could not withstand the pressure and collapsed. Despite resuscitation efforts by the medical staff, she did not make it.
“The staff are not machines”
The president of POEDIN, Michalis Giannakos, spoke about the incident on MEGA. As he said, inside the emergency room the Roma were shouting and cursing, while the nurse succumbed to the stress. He also noted that hospitals operate as “open vineyards,” as when one person enters, others follow. The police arrived after the fatal incident.
He emphasized the need to reinstate security personnel in hospitals, so that medical and nursing staff can work without interruptions and threats.
POEDIN’s announcement
POEDIN issued an announcement regarding the loss of their colleague. “Today we lost a very good and beloved colleague,” it characteristically states. Patients and escorts are not always right, as it points out, and they must understand that staff have specific limits.
The announcement describes the invasion of dozens of people into the emergency room, the shouting and cursing, while emphasizing that the hospital was not on call at that time. The child was stabilized and transferred, but this was not enough for the escorts who continued to cause tension.
The unfortunate nurse Maria Zafiri had lost her child three years ago. Her family had decided to donate the money that had been collected in memory of the child to the hospital.
Nafplio Hospital expressed its deep sorrow for the loss of its colleague and its condolences to her family. The funeral service will be held today, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 18:00, at Agios Dimitrios (Metochi) Epidaurus.
This is a tragedy that highlights the security and understaffing problems in Greek hospitals.
