For decades, healthcare on the islands was accompanied by a word residents know well: travel. Especially when it came to specialized examinations, the solution was usually found in Athens or a major urban center. An airplane or ferry ticket, lost working days, additional accommodation expenses, and, often, the need to coordinate all this with family and professional obligations.
The result? Many people, and especially women who should undergo regular preventive check-ups, postpone their examinations for months or even years.
The development of new health services in Naxos – with the arrival of Naxos Medical three years ago – is gradually changing this reality, giving residents of the Cyclades the opportunity to access specialized services without leaving their place of residence.
The founder and scientific director of Naxos Medical, Stelios Vitzilaios, explains why proximity to health services can prove crucial for prevention itself.
Distance often causes postponement
As Mr. Vitzilaios points out, travel difficulties are one of the main reasons why many citizens delay their preventive check-ups.
“The factors you just mentioned are the main causes of procrastination for a preventive health check-up. This makes it even more imperative that these services are available to people in their permanent place of residence.”
This reality is particularly pronounced in island regions, where even a simple examination can turn into a multi-day process with significant financial and psychological costs.
Services comparable to those in large cities
The creation of the new Breast Center at Naxos Medical aims to address precisely this need.
“No, it’s not an exaggeration at all. Indeed, at Naxos Medical, women in Naxos and the Cyclades can access Primary Healthcare services comparable to those in large urban centers, without travel and additional cost and time.”
This is a development that concerns not only Naxos but the Cyclades as a whole, as access to modern equipment and specialized scientists can now be achieved much closer to the citizens’ place of residence.
When planning becomes simpler
In the case of mammography, the ability to perform the examination on the island becomes even more significant.
“As you may know, the ideal period for mammography in women of reproductive age is between the 6th and 12th day of the menstrual cycle. Therefore, this alone gives an advantage to scheduling the examination in the place of permanent residence compared to the costly trip to Athens, as it is much easier to plan.”
The possibility of immediate access to the service allows women to organize their examination according to medical guidelines and not according to ticket availability or the obligations of a trip.
From “I’ll do it someday” to an annual routine
The goal, according to Mr. Vitzilaios, is not only to provide a new service but to change the mindset around prevention.
“This new capability aims to transform this preventive examination into an annual routine rather than a planned trip stemming from necessity and fear, especially if it has been postponed for years.
The daily operation of the Breast Center, the interpersonal human relationship between women and staff, and the immediacy of communication between the woman and the treating physicians are the parameters that make this department special, aiming to facilitate such a sensitive examination.”
Naxos as a reference point for the surrounding islands
Already, according to him, the response extends beyond Naxos.
“The news of the Breast Center’s operation has already been embraced by women from the surrounding islands, especially Amorgos and Ios, who call and ask for information regarding the overall service of the Breast Center, i.e., imaging, diagnosis, and clinical evaluation by a breast physician.”
Prevention becomes more effective when it is close to the citizen. And in an island region like the Cyclades, every service that reduces the need for travel not only saves time and money but also increases the chances of preventive check-ups being done on time. And often, this timely decision can prove crucial.
Source: naxospress.gr
