Lessons from the Past Decade
The economic policies concerning the Greek healthcare system have been huge, especially over the last decade. Entering the financial crisis in 2009, which was then followed by fiscal austerity measures at the behest of international creditors, altered the frontiers of healthcare in Greece, offering both challenges and reforms.
The Economic Crisis and Austerity Measures
The Greek economic crisis led to unparalleled austerity; as such, public spending, including healthcare, had to be drastically reduced. Greece implemented extensive reforms through the EAPs between 2010 and 2018, which obliged cuts in public health funding. Thus, this expenditure in public health went down and reached a low of about €1,650 per capita by 2015, significantly below the EU average of €2,884. This cut forced many citizens into out-of-pocket payments, accounting for more than 35 percent of the total health expenditure, way above the average in the EU.
Key Reforms Post-Crisis
To combat these effects, a series of fundamental reforms has been proposed in the form of responses:
Establishment of EOPYY: The National Organization for Healthcare Services Provision, commonly referred to as EOPYY, was established in 2012. It was created with the motive of unifying health insurance and purchasing functions in order to ensure more systematic provision of services with increased efficiency.
Pharmaceutical Reforms: A new HTA agency was established that helped to better evaluate medical technologies and pharmaceuticals, therefore increasing the cost-effectiveness of spending in the health sector.
Strengthening Primary Care: Underfunding of primary care services was curtailed, although access continued to remain unequal in certain parts, particularly in rural areas.
Recent Developments and Ongoing Challenges
By late 2023 and early 2024, the Greek government recognized that radical changes could not be avoided if there was any hope of overcoming chronic problems that had hitherto persisted in the National Health System. This is because, for Health Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis, there is a pressing need to change the NHS. The only ways this can happen are through comprehensive upgrades and staffing improvements.
Increased Funding
Recent budgets have reflected increases in funding for healthcare, from €4.4 billion in 2019 to €5.2 billion in 2022. However, per capita health expenditure continues to be below EU averages at approximately €1,603 and accounts for just 7.8% of GDP compared with the EU average of 9.9%, continuing disparities in access and quality of care.
Shortages of Staff
A very serious problem facing Greek healthcare is staffing. The government aims at employing 10,000 additional doctors and nurses within the next four years to develop both primary care and specialized services. In that way, some burden would be taken away from hospitals and better care for patients could be ensured.
Lessons Learned
The transition of the Greek healthcare system for the last ten-year period holds a certain number of lessons that could be learned:
Sustainable Funding a Must: The experience of the centre, therefore, underlines the need for mechanisms of sustainable funding, which give priority to essential services within the requirement of fiscal responsibility.
Reforms to Be Comprehensive: Future reforms should be comprehensive in scope regarding financial sustainability and service delivery. Processes are to be streamlined for effective reform with improved services concerning patient-centered care
Stakeholder Involvement: Consultation with health professionals, patients, and community organizations in discussions on reform can result in policies which are more effective and meet actual needs
Future Directions
Looking ahead, Greece’s health system stands at the threshold of some real transformative changes:
New Health Strategy Initiatives
The government has engaged in infrastructure build-ups at 80 hospitals and 156 health centers, with a focus on the enhancement of primary care, free screenings, and online appointment systems. Investments will be about €1.5 billion from the European Recovery Fund.
Integration of Digital Health
Some efforts are underway to integrate digital health technologies into the management of patient care, including the use of wearables to monitor chronic diseases and improve communications among different sectors of the health care system.
Improvement in Quality Workshops
WHO-organized workshops early in 2024 will concentrate on elaborating the new National Strategy on Quality of Care in Greece, in seven health regions, and are planned to ensure stakeholder feedback and input to assure service quality and access equity.
Conclusion
The Greek healthcare system has been highly turbulent during the last ten years as it was mainly led by economic policies drafted according to the stringent norms of austerity and financial stringency. While the recent reforms have indeed shown glimpses of hope for rejuvenation in the way of increased funding, improvement in staffing, and strategic planning for the NHS, the challenges still remain. The lessons learned underscore sustainable funding, comprehensive reform strategies, and stakeholder engagement as Greece moves forward on its journey toward an equitable and efficient healthcare system that meets the effective needs of its citizens.
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