Authorities in Greece say unidentified thieves are stealing vital medical equipment from hospitals around the country.
Four hospitals in total have been targeted, firstly in Athens and now in the cities of Volos, Lamia and Larisa, which were hit over the last few days.
The thieves made off with numerous equipment used for colonoscopy and gastroscopy tests, after breaking into parts of the hospitals that were shut and locked over the weekend.
Last week, similar equipment worth around 400,000 euros ($438,000) was stolen from an Athens Cancer Hospital. It has not been confirmed if all are linked. Athens police say seven pieces of machinery were taken and Hospital officials told Greek media most of the state-of-the-art equipment had been purchased with the help of private donations and doctors would now have to use older machinery again.
Police are currently working to track down the thieves.
