(21 Mar 2012) 1. Wide banner on Sotiria hospital reading (Greek) "Occupation"
2. Wide hospital staff in white coats at hospital gate
3. Mid demonstration showing doctors and hospital staff in white coats
4. Wide demonstration
5. Mid doctors standing and talking in front of ambulance
6. Close-up hospital personnel
7. Mid hospital staff talking to doctor
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Fotis Vlastos, doctor:
"So they want to close the wards. They want to close the clinics. They want to throw out the doctors and the rest of the personnel in the hospital. So we have to fight and remain as we were during the whole century."
9. Wide of doctors standing at hospital gate
10. Pan of demonstration
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Vicki Tsitsi, nurse:
"I don't know where the patients are going to go. Are they going to go to the private hospitals? Do the people have money to pay for the private hospitals? Our health system is going from bad to worse."
12. Doctors in front of gate
13. Pan of ambulance car passing by doctors demonstrating
SCRIPT
Greek state hospital services face disruptions on Wednesday as staff hold work stoppages and protests over government austerity measures and pay delays.
Doctors and staff at public hospitals in the greater Athens area will walk off the job for three hours, and are planning a demonstration at the health ministry at noon (1000 GMT).
Hospital doctors are also holding a go-slow protest, claiming the government has not given them overtime pay for four months.
At the Sotiria hospital, doctors, nurses and hospital staff were already occupying their hospital building early on Wednesday, protesting austerity cuts that include their amalgamation with another hospital.
The workers say the planned merger will compromise health care for the public and will lead to job cuts.
Doctor Fotis Vlastos, one of the protesting doctors told AP Television that the hospital staff needed to fight in the face of ward and clinic closures.
While a protesting nurse complained about the cuts saying that people need public hospitals because financial troubles are making it difficult for them to afford private doctor and hospital visits.
Health spending was affected by new cuts this year to ensure Greece can continue receiving loans from euro partners and the International Monetary Fund.
Early on Wednesday, Greek lawmakers approved a new international bailout deal, which will see Greece receive 172 billion Euros (227 billion US dollars) in rescue loans over the next few years.
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