Patients are asked to pay in Greece

Clinic treatment in Greece costs citizens 25 euros

04/01/2014

Since the beginning of the year patients in Greece have to reach deeper into their pockets. Through austerity measures, an additional 115 million euros for the state health system to be taken. For example, through 25 euros that citizens have to pay per hospital treatment.

State hospitals ask for cash
Patients in Greece have been spending more on their health since the beginning of the year. So they are now asked in state hospitals in addition to the cash. People who seek treatment there have to pay 25 euros. Greek health minister Adonis Georgiades said Thursday on Greek television that destitute and chronically ill people are exempt from the new regime.

One extra Euro for the health system
In addition, another measure will come into force in the coming weeks. Then, for every prescription, patients will have to pay an extra euro for the state health care system in addition to their co-payment. In Athens, it is expected to generate revenue of 115 million euros per year, as the Association of Greek doctors calculated.

Irresponsible action
The Alliance of the Radical Left (Syriza), Greece's strongest opposition party, criticized this measure as „irresponsible“. The state health system is being phased out, as it was called. After the outbreak of the financial crisis, the Greek health system had faltered. Thousands of Greek physicians have been on strike for almost two months now. Patients have to turn to private physicians or clinics there.

State employees in mobility reserve
Doctors who have a contract with the state insurance, want from the so-called „mobility reserve“ be exempted. The Greek government's slimming program envisages 25,000 civil servants, including doctors, spending eight months in the country „mobility reserve“ go. If no other state job is found for them during this period, they will be unemployed.

Health of the Greeks particularly affected by financial crisis
The health of the Greeks was particularly affected by the financial crisis anyway. This was the result of a British research team led by Professor Martin McKee of the „London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine“ in an article in the renowned science magazine „The Lancet“ months ago. According to the National Ministry of Health, according to the National Ministry of Health, the number of suicides in the first five months of 2011 increased by around 40 percent in comparison to the same period of the previous year. Also, the policy has reduced the funds provided to public hospitals by more than a third. Here it is missing both medicines and the staff. „Outbreaks of infectious diseases are becoming more common and budget cuts have limited access to healthcare“, so the statement of the scientists. Particularly in the case of HIV infections, the researchers recorded a worrying increase in the wake of the financial crisis. (Ad)

Image: Dieter Schütz