ATHENS — Doctors and nurses employed under the country's national health system will strike on Thursday, their unions said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN) said that "it will be catastrophic if the health system adapts once again to managing coronavirus cases to the detriment of operation rooms, cardiology units and outpatient clinics, and thus lead to the rise in fatalities of other medical causes."

Unions also request, among other things, the permanent appointment of all auxiliary staff and short-term contract employees, full funding from the state budget for the national health system, and repeated coronavirus tests on all health personnel.