VOA慢速英語：希臘窮人擔(dān)憂生存問題

Politicians in Europe continue to discuss whetherGreece will remain in the Eurozone, the group ofcountries that use the Euro as their money. Thesediscussions likely seem far away for Greeks who arepoor. They have been dealing with reduced levels ofpublic services for more than five years.

Poor People in Greece Worried About Their Survival

If Greece is to remain in the Eurozone and if lendersagree to provide additional loans, it is likely that therewill be even more cuts in government spending. This will lead to even fewer public services. Greeks knowthis, and they are answering the crisis by helping oneanother as much as they can.

Greeks who are homeless, jobless, old or poor seekmedical care from groups like Doctors of the World, in the capital Athens. Many immigrants have also come to the clinic for freecare.

Volunteer doctors and dentists treat everyone. They do not ask who they are or why they are there. The medical workers are struggling to deal with thenumber of people who need help.

Dr. Bettina Krumbholz says the country’s health care system began todeteriorate when the debt crisis began in 2008.

“We used to have a very good system, and it really used to work quiteefficient(ly). But after they had to fire so many doctors, the system got verypoor. And there’s a lack of nurses, there’s a lack of doctors. So the people,they’re waiting for 10, 12, even more hours in the line.”

Dr. Krumbholz says the limits put in place two weeks ago on how muchmoney Greeks can withdraw from the bank have made the situation worse.

“They don’t have money to get the medicine. So we have even many Greekpatients that come here only to get their medication. We cannot leave peopledying on the streets, out of hunger, out of lack of medication, of medicine, out of lack of doctors.”

Greeks are dealing with the crisis by giving one another health care, legaladvice and food.

Konstantinos Polychronopoulos is cooking a large meal of chicken stew atwhat he calls the “Social Kitchen” in Monastiraki Square in the center ofAthens. Mr. Polychronopoulos lost his job as a marketing manager four yearsago. He has tried to get another job but employers tell him that, at 51, he is tooold. Others said he was too highly-educated for the low-skill jobs for which he was applying. So he now spends his time giving free meals to everyone,whether they are rich or poor.

He says he began giving away meals when he saw two boys fighting aboutwho would eat a piece of food they had found at a garbage dump. He said thefight did not bother him as much as seeing other people ignore it.

Even if Europe agrees to another deal to rescue Greece, many Greeks willcontinue to suffer, especially those who are already suffering the most.

I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.

Correspondent Henry Ridgwell reported this story from Athens. ChristopherJones-Cruise adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

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Words in This Story

clinic – n. a place where people get medical help

deteriorate – v. to become worse as time passes

system – n. a way of managing, controlling, organizing or doing somethingthat follows a set of rules or a plan

efficiently– adv. producing desired results without wasting materials, time orenergy

fire– v. to dismiss (someone) from a job

garbage dump – n. an area where trash and food waste is placed; a placewhere things that are no longer useful or wanted have been thrown out