Doctors Without Borders sound alarm over living conditions of refugees on Greek islands

Living conditions for refugees on Greece's northern Aegean Sea islands is "regrettable and infuriating" despite progress made in recent months, the head of the Doctors without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières -- MSF) mission in Greece, Clément Perrin, said on Friday, after Greek authorities vowed to improve the situation in 2017.

During a press briefing in Athens on Wednesday, Greek Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas presented the steps made during 2016 pledging more support to the more than 61,000 people stranded in Greece since last winter after the closure of borders.

Although some of the dozens accommodation facilities nationwide have been upgraded lately, in the hotspots of Lesvos, Samos and other islands at the frontline of the refugee crisis, families with newborn babies or small children are still living in tents without heating and access to hot water, even as Greece is gripped by a cold snap, Perrin told Greek national news agency AMNA.

"Greek authorities promised months ago they would improve living conditions on the islands, but very little has been done," Perrin said.

Almost 16,000 refugees and migrants remain stranded on the islands for months in overcrowded camps since March, when the EU-Turkey agreement that aimed to curb the refugee influx came into effect due to delays in the assessment of their asylum bids.

The MSF official also warned the UN refugee agency and the Greek government of the consequences of a lack in coordination, which he said affects the health of refugees.

Health professionals working at the camps lose track of their patients and this leads to an interruption in the treatment for those who are in chronic treatment for chronic conditions or overlooked mental issues.

Although no systematic research has been made on the toll war or the perilous journey to Europe has taken on mental health, the 22.3 percent of the refugees and migrants who received treatment by the NGO on the Aegean Sea islands and the mainland had depression symptoms.

Christina Sideri, an MSF psychologist, described to local newspaper "Kathimerini" (Daily) patients suffering from insomnia, mood disorders, concentration issues, children with aggressive behavior and others who refuse to leave their parents' side.

The psychological distress and mental illness resulting from trauma seem to have aggravated due to the limbo they face trapped inside camps for months.

They fled war and risked their lives to cross the Aegean to reach central Europe and now the prolonged idleness, anxiety about the future and harsh conditions in the camps have accumulated frustration, Sideri explained.

Apostolos Veizis, head of MSF's Medical Operational Support Unit in Greece, spoke about an invisible suffering, explaining that due to the overstretching of support services diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems were extremely difficult. Endit