Effects of the economic crisis on health and healthcare in Greece 

ANASTASIOS PETROVAS

 Consequences for health

Mental health

Suicides

Epidemics

Otorhinolaryngologic disorders

Consequences for healthcare

Public health expenditure and management

Healthcare workforce

Healthcare services

Pharmaceutical market

Biomedical research

Mental health

Reduced funding(2010

)

Forced into poverty

2,6x major depression

(2011)

Suicides

• in 2011 an increase in suicides by 40%• 1% increase in unemployment was associated with a 0.79% rise in

suicides at ages younger than 65 years• Beginning of 2014 4 the suicides decreased to 209

epidemics

• (HIV) infections has been continuously rising(IDUs)• disruptions of preventive programmes • pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in 2009• West Nile Virus (WNV) infections in 2010 and 2011

ORL disorder

s

• Vertigo and tinnitus• increased distress and social anxiety caused by the economic crisis

 Public health expenditure and management

No short-term negative effect of the crisis on the GNHS services

Substantial cuts in health expenditure

National Organization for the Provision of Healthcare Services (EOPYY),  merging of four of the largest social security organizations 

Cutting health workforce's salaries, limiting recruitment of health personnel

 Increased numbers of persons not being able to access health care, fees for visits at outpatient clinics have been increased from €3 to €5

Healthcare workforce

understaffing 

1/3 of graduate nurses 

dissatisfaction and

burnout 

Cut of salaries and

personel

 Healthcare services

closures of several healthcare units 

lack of appropriate equipment for surgical interventions

deterioration of surgical patients’ health

patients shifting from private towards public healthcare sector

increasing number of Greeks seek medical advice from street clinics

Once unemployed, individuals are covered by health insurance only for the first 18 months of unemployment.

 In order to reduce costs, the government imposed reductions in pharmaceuticals’ prices, wholesale margin and decrease of the price of generics (at 90% of original medicines’ prices), along with twice an increase of the value-added tax (VAT) in medicines in 2010, and then a decrease of it in 2011, all of them leading to significant

shortages of pharmaceuticals in many parts of the country [[17], [35], [44]]. These shortages and frequent strikes of

the pharmacists caused public dissatisfaction and pharmaceutical companies preferring not to sell their

products in Greece due to the financial crisis

 Pharmaceutical market

reduction of funds

psychological stress 

decrease Biomedical research

References

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168851014000475