The Prime Minister addressed the building upgrades for various departments, funded by the Recovery Fund. He also discussed the reformation of on-call systems in Athens’ largest hospitals to alleviate pressure caused by high patient influx. Additionally, there was a focus on reinforcing staff at Primary Health Care Centres to ensure that only those needing hospital care reach hospitals, thus preventing overcrowding.

Empty promises?

However, Mitsotakis’ promises seem empty, given the lack of progress in recruiting doctors and health personnel for hospitals in the past.

After the meeting, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis remarked, “It is very challenging to meet the expectations of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as Health Minister, because he has an excellent understanding of issues in the health system. This allowed us to have a highly constructive discussion on the progress of the reforms our government is implementing.”

Georgiadis claimed, “We are proud because we are advancing the biggest reforms in the National Health System (ESY) in many years.”

He continued, “This progress is starting to show, as we demonstrated to the Prime Minister. In the first half of 2024, our hospitals achieved the highest number of surgeries performed in many years. We discussed issues like emergency staffing and underserved areas, and found several innovative solutions to expedite improvements.”

Notably absent from the discussion was any mention of the controversial measure requiring patients to pay for evening surgeries.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Mitsotakis stated:

“Our government has made the radical reform and restructuring of the ESY a central political priority for this four-year period. We recognise the challenges, the ESY stood firm during the pandemic but inherited numerous long-term problems. It is time to address these issues with courage.

We are implementing a framework of bold reforms across all aspects of health. These reforms, which citizens will soon begin to see and experience, include infrastructure improvements funded by European and Recovery Fund resources. They also involve increasing personnel, streamlining processes, leveraging technology, and addressing long-standing deficiencies in underserved areas, such as our islands and mountainous regions.

We have the plan and the will to implement these significant reforms, and we will do so. We have an excellent team at the Ministry of Health, and now it is your responsibility to implement what we have agreed upon.

I want to highlight the importance of public health and preventive examinations. While improving hospital services is crucial, health does not begin and end at the hospital door. Therefore, we place great importance on primary health care, preventive examinations, and public health programmes to ensure a healthier population and prevent issues before they require intervention.

So, Minister, let’s continue the work we have started and complete it.

The pandemic has provided us all with deeper insights into the ESY. I personally follow this portfolio closely because I understand the immense importance of health for all citizens. If you see me visiting health facilities frequently, it’s to ensure we are consistently implementing our plans.

Lastly, we must listen to the patients. They are our ultimate evaluators of the ESY. They will give us feedback on what we are doing right and where we need improvement. Despite significant challenges, the ESY is standing strong today, and I want to thank everyone who serves it with dedication and sacrifice.

Let me remind you that our government was the first in a long time to make significant salary adjustments for ESY employees.”

Pleas falling on deaf ear

Patients indeed voice their concerns, often highlighting the deficiencies within the NHS caused by government mismanagement. According to Eurostat, in 2022, Greece had the highest percentage (16.7%) of EU citizens who reported being unable to access medical care due to cost, distance, or long waiting lists.

Moreover, whenever hospital workers attempt to communicate with the ministry, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis responds with constant verbal attacks and insults. This pattern further undermines the credibility of the government’s claims of commitment to health sector reforms.

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