There may be difficulty in securing doctors from the Ministry of Health for the central hospital of Lassithi Prefecture, despite the fact that the importance of the fully staffed and smooth operation of the General Hospital for the Tourism of Merambello has been highlighted in all tones and by numerous bodies in the region, however, the Ministry of Culture has managed to secure a doctor who, in fact, will be working daily with a clinic on the island of Spinalonga from May 2!
According to information from ANATOLIS, the appointment was made under a contract with ODAP. The space that will house the clinic will function as a First Aid facility to deal with emergencies, health problems for visitors or to deal with any accidents that may occur on the island. It will have a refrigerator for ice, medicines, etc., the cost of which will be covered by ODAP. The doctor’s contract will last until October 31.
In addition to the maintenance of the defibrillator that Professor Panagiotis Spanos had donated for use on Spinalonga, a special defibrillator for children will be purchased, which will be delivered in the coming days.
A space will be created for the clinic within an existing old building, which was granted for this purpose by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lassithi.
Visitor safety measures
Regarding the works being carried out for the construction of the building that will house the new ticket office and the ODAP shop, criticism is being expressed for the fact that they are particularly disruptive and that provision should have been made so that they were planned more appropriately and did not coincide with the tourist season, given that the number of visitors is increasing daily.
We asked yesterday the Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lassithi, Ms. Vasso Zografaki, whether the Ephorate has taken the appropriate measures to ensure the comfortable and safe access and movement of visitors to the island. The head of EFALA told us that the project is not supervised by the Ephorate of Antiquities, but is a project implemented by ODAP. However, the Ephorate has made the necessary recommendations to the project contractor through ODAP to take the necessary measures (fencing the construction site, etc.) and a great effort has been made to implement these measures, she stressed.
Access to the interior of the castle was changed and moved to another point so that there would be no issue of safe access for visitors, a ramp was built for the disabled, etc.
Meeting with the Mayor
Furthermore, the Head of the Ephorate of Antiquities, Vasso Zografaki, had a meeting with the Mayor of Agios Nikolaos, Manolis Menegakis, which was also attended by the Deputy Mayor – EFALA executive – Giorgos Beloukas. The meeting took place at the offices of the Ephorate and was also attended by the archaeologist of the Ephorate, Mr. Zacharias Lambrinos.
The Mayor was informed about the projects being implemented by the Cultural Resources Management and Development Organization (CRMDO) in Spinalonga, as well as about their completion schedule, in connection with the increased traffic to the monument.
Reference was also made to the operation of the archaeological sites of the wider area of the Municipality and the Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos, in view of the start of the new tourist season.
Also discussed were the new studies that the Ephorate has launched for Spinalonga and the possibilities of the Municipality’s assistance in their implementation.
Archaeological Zones of Kalo Chorio
Next summer, archaeological research is set to begin in the Second Archaeological Zone of Kalo Chorio in order to determine whether and to what extent its area can be limited.
The research program foresees the cooperation of the Archaeological Service of Lassithi and the University of Athens. It will last this summer and will take some time next year to complete, Ms. Zografaki told us. The area will be investigated, focusing on specific points that have already been identified, in order to determine whether the zones can be modified. The research foresees the carrying out of sections in the ground. Also, older surface research recordings will be repeated and in other places recordings that reported the non-existence of ancients will be checked.
We asked Ms. Zografaki if there is any progress in the process of revising the archaeological zones of Kalo Chorio, which the local community of the area has been requesting for many years. The head of EFALA told us that the Ephorate has sent to the central Service of the Ministry of Culture the approval of a Program Agreement, which will be signed with the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos, which will finance the project with 60,000 euros.
Source: Nikos Trantas for Anatolh.com