DOCTORS issued a rallying call today, demanding urgent action from the EU and governments across Europe to bring refugees stuck in appalling conditions on the Greek islands to safety immediately.

Organised under the banner #SOSMoria, a reference to the overcrowded camp on the island of Lesbos, the medics warned of the “catastrophic consequences” of a coronavirus outbreak there.

“It is an illusion to think that a Covid-19 outbreak in these camps could be kept under control — 40,000 people are living on a few square kilometres…

“If Europe looks away now, this situation could escalate to become a medical disaster and this would represent a serious violation of the norms and values of European healthcare.”

The message highlighted a deal struck by EU leaders four years ago, promising that each member state would take in a fixed number of refugees from Greece and Turkey.

“Not a single EU country has complied with this agreement,” the doctors said.

“It is not enough to move the refugees to camps on the Greek mainland; these camps are also overcrowded.

“We call on all leaders of the EU to comply with this agreement from 2016 and to take refugees into their countries now to prevent a medical disaster on European territory.”