Drivers and passengers are resorting to the Accident and Emergency Departments of state hospitals not to benefit from necessary medical care after an accident but to claim compensation from insurance companies, Phileleftheros reported on Monday.
After an accident, insurance companies tend to opt for a settlement in order to avoid going to court. This settlement is affected by the certificates and medical reports that each side presents.
A&E doctors and officials report that people involved in minor accidents visit the Emergency Departments all the time. While it is obvious that they do not have any serious injuries, many of them insist on X-rays or on other more complicated examinations.
This works to the detriment of other patients who are often waiting for a long time to be examined and to receive healthcare.Taxpayers are also burdened by the extra, specialised examinations requested.
Additional inconvenience is also caused by the policies of insurance companies on the sites of road accidents. Even when the damage is either non-existent or cost a few hundred euros roads are often closed until representatives from the insurance companies arrive at the scene to record the damages.
Only after this assessment can the vehicles be moved. This usually causes great traffic jams and serious inconvenience for anyone trying to commute.
