If you are in trouble, do not hesitate to ask the
Cretans for help or advice. Most will be very willing to help: it
is part of the still deeply ingrained traditional hospitality.
Hospitals
There are hospitals in the main cities. Emergency
treatment is provided but you might have to provide the details
of your health insurance (wherever you are insured). The hospital
will recover their costs directly from them.
Hospitals on Crete have a bad reputation because some of them are rather
old and crowded. The medical care, however, is MUCH better than what it is
reputed to be. Most of the doctors will speak one or more foreign languages.
The university hospital in Heraklion is a teaching hospital and has an excellent
reputation.
A number of smaller localities have "health centres" for less serious
problems. These are generally manned by a doctor and some nurses.
Doctors
There are plenty of good doctors, most have done
some of their training abroad and will speak one or more foreign
languages fluently. Most of the doctors are specialists. The concept
of a general practitioner is quite new and there are only very
few.
You will need to pay the doctor for a visit (in general it is pretty reasonable)
and arrange for a refund through your health insurance by yourself if you
are entitled to it. For some addresses go to doctors
Dentists
First rate dental care at a fraction of the price!
In times where most health insurance will only pay for the most
basic dental care, it is worth thinking about having major dental
work done here: you will probably save on what you would have spent
on dental work in your country and have a holiday thrown in for
free. For some addresses go to dentists
Pharmacies
There is a surprisingly high number of them in cities.
Pharmacies keep normal shop hours Monday to Friday. They are closed
on Saturday. If you need a chemist on closing days or at night
you can see which one is open (there are generally a couple in
Chania, Rethymnon and more in Heraklion) in the list displayed
in the window of every pharmacy. The list is in Greek however.
The best solution is probably to take a taxi to the nearest one,
the taxi driver should know where it is.
Consulates and embassies
Most are in Athens. There are a few delegations in Heraklion:
Germany 2810226288, Austria 2810222213, Switzerland 2810223379,
United Kingdom 2810224012, Netherlands 2810346202, Denmark 2810240582.
Germany also has a honorary consulate in Agia Marina near Chania
2821068876
Police
Not always that helpful, but there are exceptions.
Language is also often a problem
Tourist police
If you have any troubles with restaurants, hotels,
taxis, get in touch with the tourist police. Their job is to ensure
that standards are maintained and that tourists do not get ripped-off.
It is still a rare thing on Crete but it unfortunately happens.
