Medical assistance in Crete
Doctors
There are many good doctors in Crete who speak one or more foreign languages.
In all the tourist areas you will find plenty of good doctors and pharmacies
that offer help in case of disease or accidents during your holiday. The
Greek work for doctor is "Giatros".
Pharmacies
The pharmacies can often help with
advice in minor cases and will help you with the name and address of a doctor if
needed. The Greek word for Pharmacy is "Farmacia".
Look for a green or red cross and do
not hesitate to ask for help if you are in trouble. The Cretans are only happy
to help you out.
Addresses for Doctors, dentists
and Pharmacies
Hospitals
There are hospitals in the main cities. Emergency treatment is provided but you
might have to provide the details of your health insurance. The hospital will
normally recover their costs directly from them. This is the place to go
if you have an accident or a serious disease. The Greek word for hospital is "Nosokomio".
Hospitals in Crete are better than their
reputation, some of them are rather old and crowded. But the medical care, is
much better than what it is reputed to be. Most of the doctors will speak one or
more foreign languages. The university hospital in Heraklion is a teaching
hospital and has an excellent reputation.
A number of smaller localities have "health centers" for less serious
problems. These are generally manned by a doctor and some nurses.
Dentists
There are also plenty of good dentists. The dentist and dental technicians in
Crete are very good and the prices are reasonable, so if you have a problem, do
not hesitate to contact one.
Payment for
health service
You will need to pay the doctor for a visit (in general it is pretty reasonable)
and arrange for a refund through your health insurance yourself if you are
entitled to it. At the hospital they will require
details of your health insurance, and will normally recover the costs directly from
your insurance.
Emergency phone numbers
Police: 100
Tourist police: 2821073333 in Chania,
- 2825053450 & 2825028156 in
Rethymnon.
Fire brigade: 199
Ambulance: 166
ELPA: 104
Elpa is the national car breakdown service, if you are a subscriber to a similar
service in another country, you might be covered.
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