A 56-year-old cancer patient has expressed his disappointment with the public healthcare system after accusing doctors at the 424 Military Hospital in Thessaloniki of delaying his biopsy results by a year, leading to his cancer becoming metastatic. The details emerged yesterday (14.06.2025) when it was revealed in a memorandum that the man was blamed for not following up on his biopsy results sooner.
The memorandum stated that the patient bears responsibility because he delayed seeking the biopsy results. It further suggested that if he had undergone preventive screenings like a colonoscopy, the cancer might have been detected earlier, potentially preventing his current condition.
Speaking on the MEGA TV show “Current Developments,” the former police officer criticized the memorandum, which deeply upset him. He said all he wanted was an apology. After undergoing surgery and being diagnosed with polyps, a year passed before he received a call informing him about the biopsy results revealing malignant adenocarcinoma.
When questioned about the delay, the doctor reportedly told him such delays are common. “Cancer doesn’t wait; it grows,” the patient remarked. He emphasized that a responsible state should apologize rather than shift blame.
“The Greek public health system can’t claim colorectal cancer is 91% curable with early diagnosis while justifying a one-year biopsy delay,” he lamented. Now, the public system questions why he didn’t seek out his biopsy results or undergo a colonoscopy. “I’m truly hurt by what they told me and my wife, who suffers from multiple sclerosis,” he added.
The man accused the Greek public system of failing to hold its employees accountable, instead blaming him. Facing bureaucratic hurdles like undergoing two expert opinions and collecting piles of paperwork, he fears time will run out before completing these tasks. Consequently, he sought private healthcare, despite the high costs. Despite everything, he plans to pursue legal action to seek justice, though time is against him.