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Health system

in Greece

In 2019, Government and compulsory insurance as well as voluntary insurance and households out-of-pocket payments (OOP) on health, amounted to 1,603 EUR per capita (below the EU average of 3,523 EUR) and 7.8 per cent of GDP (below EU average of 9.9 per cent of GDP).
Greece has the second highest EU rate of out-of-pocket payments on healthcare (out-of-pocket payments in Greece amount 33.4 per cent of total current health expenditure versus 14.4 per cent in EU average in 2020).
Only 7 per cent of doctors practice as General practitioners (GP), while the EU average is 26 per cent (2021).
1.6 per cent of households with dependent children declare that have unmet needs for medical care (EU 3.6 per cent) and 1.8 per cent for dental care (EU 4.4 per cent) (2021).
Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination due to services being too expensive or too far to travel or due to the waiting list stood at 9 per cent in Greece which is the highest in EU (2.2 per cent) (2022, persons over 16).

Gender

Women (10.1 per cent) self-reporting a higher rate of unmet needs for medical examination due to services being too expensive or too far to travel or due to the waiting list compared to men (7.9 per cent) (2022).

Sub-national

13 per cent of people living in rural areas are not able to access care due to the limited available transport means or long distance. In urban areas, this percentage is lower at 3 per cent.

Other

For the poorest income quantile the rate of self-reported unmet needs for medical examination due to services being too expensive or too far to travel or due to the waiting list was 14.3 per cent in Greece and was the highest in EU (3.7 per cent) (2022).
In 2017, 10 per cent of the population reported unmet medical needs, such as medical examinations or treatment, due to costs, distance and travel, or extended waiting times. Of those, 20 per cent were in the poorest income quintile and 3 per cent in the richest income quintile.
Poor households with dependent children have higher rates of unmet needs for medical care (3.3 per cent) and for dental care (6.2 per cent) (2021).

Enabling Environment

Legislation, policy, resources, coordination, data

Limited data collection suitable for international comparison on key indicators relating to the health profile of the population.
The cost of healthcare is one of the main barriers for access to people with low income.

Adequately staffed services, facilities, information, commodities

Uneven distribution of health workforce and resources in rural and island areas.
Services for children are still not widely available across the country, especially for children with disabilities.
Healthcare services for certain illnesses/diseases (e.g. cancer) are missing altogether in rural areas.
Decrease of staff in hospitals due to the economic crisis and overall few GPs.

35(a)Ensure effective access to healthcare, including the delivery of the Social Security Number (AMKA) and Foreigners Health Care Card as appropriate, to Roma children, children in situation of migration, children in street situations and other children in vulnerable situations.
35(b) Strengthen access to dental and ophthalmological services and to vaccination, while raising awareness of parents about the benefits thereof.
35(c) Ensure the adequate number of skilled healthcare personnel, including paediatricians, nurses and mental health specialists, in all the regions, and remote and insular areas, and in emergency situations.

Culturally sensitive training for primary health care staff, necessary. mediation/interpretation resources.
Collaboration with local actors and initiatives.
Prioritized management and funding for rural areas and islands to improve equitable access to health care services.