The arrest of two psychiatrists at the Attica Psychiatric Hospital (formerly Dafni) has sparked widespread condemnation and institutional shock. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening, when relatives of a man, accompanied by police, requested involuntary hospitalization based on an oral prosecutor’s order.
According to reports from iatropedia.gr, the two on-duty psychiatrists initially determined that the patient required hospitalization but refused immediate admission due to lack of available beds. They reportedly asked police to transfer the patient to a police station until a bed became available.
Following confusion and conflicting statements, police arrested the doctors, accusing them of altering their medical evaluation. However, this claim was later refuted by the patient’s family in an official statement, leading to a formal investigation being opened at the Haidari Police Station.
The medical community reacted swiftly. The Hospital Doctors’ Union (OENGE) stood firmly behind the detained physicians, calling the intervention a dangerous precedent. ‘We will not allow psychiatry to become a tool of state repression,’ said Panos Papanikolaou, General Secretary of OENGE.
The Greek Psychiatric Association condemned the arrests as a global anomaly, describing it as an unprecedented erosion of medical autonomy. They urged authorities to stop all legal actions against the doctors and reaffirm the right of medical professionals to make impartial decisions regarding involuntary admissions.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Hellenic Police denied accusations of arbitrariness, insisting that their actions were lawful and necessary.