The Healthcare Numbers
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3 million available appointments ➝ 10 million appointments today
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88,000 patients on surgery waiting lists ➝ 31,000 today
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Waiting since 2017 ➝ now only from 2024 at the latest
A new era in Healthcare from October 1st
Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis presented the sweeping changes that will come into effect in October, calling them “the biggest health reform in Europe.”
- 1566: the new single number for all hospital appointments.
- myHealth app: full access to every citizen’s medical record, free and easy to use.
- 10 million available appointments, up from just 3 million until recently.
“All Greeks are lucky that thanks to our government they can now download the myHealth app on their phone. From October 1st, free and effortless. This is the biggest healthcare reform in all European countries,” he stressed.
Landmark projects at Evangelismos Hospital
Mr. Georgiadis announced two major interventions at Evangelismos, the country’s largest hospital:
- New Emergency Departments (EDs), double in size, to be delivered by Easter.
- Renovation of the old Nursing School building, sponsored by the Konstantakopoulos Foundation, to be handed over fully renewed within a year.
“We are doubling the size, we have ordered modern LED screens. It’s fantastic. The hospital will change,” he noted.
Surgery waiting lists reduced dramatically
According to the Minister, waiting lists have been cut significantly:
- From 88,000 patients on waiting lists when he reassumed the Ministry,
- To about 31,000 today.
“In 2024 there were still patients waiting since 2017. Today, the longest waiting cases go only up to 2024,” he said, presenting the figures as proof of progress.
The exchange with Michalis Giannakos
During the interview, there was also friction with POEDIN union president Michalis Giannakos over delayed payments for afternoon surgeries.
Giannakos pointed out:“Doctors at Attikon hospital announced they were unpaid since December. The problem with afternoon surgeries exists in all hospitals.
The Minister replied:“The money is not lost, it’s Recovery Fund. Payments for the last two months are in process. I’m not an accountant to clear invoices, but I am moving ahead with payments.”
Despite their differences, Georgiadis acknowledged POEDIN’s role:“POEDIN is not a gang of misery. Most of the time they highlight real problems. I don’t fight without reason.”
And Giannakos, in turn, conceded:“He never feared dialogue. Whenever I needed, his door was open.”
A political message with a “European touch”
Against the backdrop of hospital renovations, service digitalization, and reduced waiting lists, Adonis Georgiadis aims to project himself as a minister who “delivers results.”
He placed the reforms within a European framework, arguing that with the myHealth app and the new appointment platform,“Greece surpasses all European countries.”
Source: pagenews.gr