Recently, a young Greek blogger named Amalia Kalyvinou died after a long battle with Cancer. I only found out about her story through a friend who lives in Greece a few days ago. Amalia was thirty years old when she was struck down in the prime of her life. Her blog chronicled her struggle with a malignant tumor requiring treatment with chemotherapy and radiation. More importantly it exposed malpractice and the corrupt system of Greek medical bribery known as the "fakelaki." The socialization of medical care in Greece has spawned a number of problems. The worst of these is the expectation by doctors of monetary gifts or bribes from their patients in order to receive adequate care. There are many ethical Greek doctors that refuse to participate and do their utmost to uphold there Hippocratic Oath. Others have prostituted themselves and their profession. The amazing thing about this young woman's tragic story is that she courageously documented her personal struggle and brought to light the major flaws in the Greek National Health System through her blogging. In spite of her untimely death, Amalia has been able to speak out from beyond the grave and do her part to chip away at the some of the things that contributed not only her death but the deaths of thousands of other Greeks, who are prisoners in a system that is broken. Additional information can be obtained here.
May her memory be eternal.
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