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Thessaloniki: 2 private clinics are required

The Ministry of Health announced, this morning, that two private hospitals with their staff are required to serve the urgent needs of patients with Covid-19.

The relevant health ministry on Thursday issued a same-day ultimatum - which expired at 9 p.m. local time - to private clinics in the Thessaloniki area to immediately make available 200 beds for coronavirus cases, given that the number of intubated patients suffering from the virus throughout Greece reached 499.

Otherwise, the ministry's leadership said, the facilities will be requisitioned.  

The "second wave" of the pandemic is particularly acute in northern Greece.

Up until Thursday afternoon, members of the national association of private clinics had refused the order.  

Following the negative response of the owners of private clinics to voluntarily provide beds for COVID patients, as "it was not possible to find a commonly accepted solution", as stated in the relevant announcement, the Ministry of Health decided - as of this morning - to order 2 private clinics and of their staff