At the 5th Metropolitan Economist Conference held at the “Ioannis Vellidis” Conference Center in Thessaloniki, Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis emphasized that Greece has the potential to become a global center of innovation in health and artificial intelligence, leveraging anonymized citizen data. He stated:
“The new ‘black gold’ of our era is data. The myHealth app, the electronic health record we have built, is an ocean of data… we invite companies and universities from around the world to use it for research and innovation.”
A Revolution in Pharmaceutical Investments
The Minister highlighted that since 2019, €1.6 billion has been invested in the pharmaceutical industry through the investment clawback mechanism, creating thousands of well-paid jobs.
“Pfizer’s Digital Center in Thessaloniki started with 200 employees and now has 1,500, approaching 2,000. This proves that Greece can be present in innovation,” said Georgiadis.
These investments not only create jobs but also attract scientific talent, both retaining professionals in Greece and bringing back those who have worked abroad.
Digital Revolution in Healthcare With the myHealth app, Greece already offers:
- 100% electronic prescriptions,
- Access to every citizen’s electronic health record.
From January 1, 2026, the application will include all diagnostic tests in real time, from MRIs to blood tests. The Minister stressed:
“The 24/7 data collection, combined with preventive examinations, gathers health data from the entire Greek population into one app – a revolution of global significance.”
Greece surpasses countries like the United Kingdom in digitalization and lays the foundation for international collaborations and clinical studies.
Global Significance and AI in Health
Georgiadis emphasized that these data become the core of AI development in healthcare:
“An entire exclusive sector of artificial intelligence worldwide focuses on health, because major discoveries in new therapies and drugs happen there. These technologies require data. The myHealth app is an ocean of data.”
In practice, Greece has already attracted over $2 billion in investments from Pure Health (UAE), and the country was selected by the European Commission as one of seven nations to host an AI factory with a dedicated health cluster.
Affordable Innovative Treatments
The Minister noted that Greece is introducing HTA (Health Technology Assessment) and transitional drug reimbursement systems, based on successful European models (Italy), to ensure:
- Faster access for Greek patients to new treatments,
- Sustainability of the public healthcare system,
- Support for research and development in Greece.
“The question in this new era is whether we will be protagonists or mere bystanders. The government’s ambition is to be protagonists,” said Adonis Georgiadis.
Greece is becoming a global hub of health data and innovation, leveraging anonymized health data and pharmaceutical investments, creating thousands of jobs, international collaborations, and access to new treatments. As the Minister noted, this strategy makes Greek data the new “black gold” of the AI era with global impact.