The treasurer’s resignation, the secretary being denied access to the Association’s office and strong criticism from Leros hospital doctors paint a picture of serious internal crisis at the Kalymnos District Medical Association (ISEK).
According to reporting by Kalymnos Times, Nikolas Kalovidouris, from Astypalaia, has resigned as treasurer of the governing board. Meanwhile, the Association’s secretary, Michalis Monokandilos, is being denied access to ISEK’s office.
Kalymnos Times contacted vice-president Giorgos Tsoukalas, who confirmed both the treasurer’s resignation and the issue concerning the secretary’s access.
Monokandilos attributes the restriction to an initiative by ISEK president Mikes Koukouvas, whom he accuses of authoritarian conduct. The secretary maintains that his position entitles him to access the Association’s office and disputes his exclusion.
Complaints from Leros doctors add to the controversy, as expressed at the General Assembly of E.I.TH.E.L. on September 30, 2026. The Assembly discussed the acute problems facing hospital doctors and the operation of the Leros State Hospital–General Hospital–Health Centre, adopting resolutions and deciding on interventions and protest action.
In its statement, the Assembly alleges that the majority of ISEK’s governing board either reacts negatively when these problems are highlighted or declares them outside its remit, describing them as “internal hospital matters.”
The doctors counter that understaffing, unpaid or reduced on-call payments, excessive on-call duties, shortages and the undermining of the Scientific Council directly affect doctors, patients and public healthcare. They also accuse the board majority of failing to defend their dignity when, according to their statement, their institutional and scientific bodies are undermined.
ISEK vice-president Giorgos Tsoukalas also raised the question of the Association’s role. Expressing his personal view to Kalymnos Times, he stressed that ISEK should also fulfill a trade union role.
These developments bring both the governing board’s functioning and its representation of doctors across the district into focus. The E.I.TH.E.L. General Assembly asks directly: “Who does the Medical Association ultimately represent? Its members, or hospital administrations and the political leadership of the Ministry of Health?”
