Adonis Reforms Public Healthcare: Greece Leads with Free Home Delivery of High-Cost Medicines for 25,000 Citizens
In less than a week, it will be exactly four months since the launch of Greece’s home delivery program for High-Cost Medicines (HCM) to patients insured by the National Organization for Healthcare Services Provision (EOPYY). This ambitious initiative, driven and implemented by Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis, is already being seen as a turning point for the Greek healthcare system.
“The National Health System has changed — let the critics keep shouting,” Georgiadis declared on X (formerly Twitter), adding:
“What we had been discussing for years is now a tangible reality.”
According to official figures, over 16,000 patients have already enrolled and are receiving their monthly medication directly at their doorstep, with zero cost. In the past two months alone, 8,000 new applicants joined the program, signaling that more than 25,000 patients will soon benefit regularly.
The system delivers critical, high-cost medications — such as oncology treatments, immunosuppressants, and drugs for rare diseases — in temperature-controlled conditions, eliminating the burden of travel and long waits at EOPYY pharmacies.
“We are especially proud to see so many of our fellow citizens trusting this innovative model,”Georgiadis said.
“And what’s more, our service is completely free — unlike similar pilot systems in other European countries, which come with added costs to patients.”
In addition to home delivery, the Ministry of Health also launched an appointment-based pick-up option for HCMs through private pharmacies and EOPYY facilities. This parallel channel is rapidly decompressing traffic at public pharmacies and significantly improving patient experience.
A European First – Made in Greece
While other European nations are experimenting with similar models on a much smaller scale, Greece is now the only country offering nationwide home delivery of all High-Cost Medicines, for free, and with full pharmaceutical-grade logistics.
“No other country has accomplished what we have. We raised the bar — and we delivered,” Georgiadis emphasized.
“All HCMs, temperature-controlled, tracked, and free of charge, delivered to every eligible patient insured by EOPYY.”
This revolution in drug distribution is not only a matter of logistics, but of public dignity and social equity — empowering patients with serious and chronic illnesses to manage their care without bureaucracy, exhaustion, or dependency.
The Political Impact
The significance of this success goes beyond administration — it is a clear political achievement. In a period where public healthcare systems across Europe face immense pressure, Greece demonstrates that bold, digital, citizen-focused reform is possible — even under fiscal constraints.
The initiative serves as a model of how political will, innovation, and modern state planning can come together to deliver concrete benefits for tens of thousands of people.
This is not merely a case of delivering pills — it’s about delivering trust, efficiency, and respect to patients. With this move, Adonis Georgiadis signals that Greece’s public health system is capable of setting international standards, while also reminding political opponents that reform is possible when backed by vision and execution.
Source: pagenews.gr