Problems with hospital treatment in the Prefecture of Heraklion due to the healthcare policies imposed under the memorandum in Greece
| 31 March 2015 |
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| Question for written answer to the Commission Rule 130 Notis Marias (ECR) |
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According to reports by the President of the Doctors’ Union in the Prefecture of Heraklion, numerous cancer patients in need of immediate surgical procedures are having to wait up to a year to receive treatment due to shortages of:
| (a) | doctors and nursing staff |
| (b) | operating theatres |
| (c) | beds in A&E |
| (d) | consumables |
If the necessary funds were provided, the daily number of routine procedures would increase by up to 50%.
Furthermore, many doctors are paid a pittance and have not been paid for being on call for two years, meaning that they are now struggling to make ends meet.
The situation in hospitals in the Prefecture of Heraklion and in other hospitals in Greece is expected to deteriorate in 2015, as healthcare budgets have been cut by a further 22.9%.
In view of the above, will the Commission, as a member of the Troika, say whether it will continue to demand cuts to healthcare budgets in 2015, despite the increased risks to the health of patients and what measures it intends to take in order to compensate Greece for the colossal social cost of the measures enforced under the memorandum in the health sector?
Source: European Parliament
| Joint answer given by Mr Moscovici on behalf of the Commission Written questions :E-001641/15 , E-005018/15 |
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| The Commission supports the intention of the Greek Ministry of Health to enhance the cost-efficiency and effectiveness of the Greek National Health System as well as the quality and accessibility of public healthcare in order to fully meet the health needs of the population but also to ensure sustainability.
It is for the Greek Government to decide the details of the specific measures to implement the reforms. In particular, the quality control of medical devices and consumables purchased by hospitals — in the case of Greek hospitals, of the National Organisation for Healthcare Services Provision (EOPYY) — is a competence that rests with the Member States. The Commission is holding regular review missions to Greece and will continue to raise any relevant public health concerns, particularly related to quality and access to healthcare. The communication from the Commission on effective, accessible and resilient health systems, adopted in April 2014, defined ‘increasing accessibility to healthcare’ as one of the three pillars for health systems and the Commission remains committed to supporting the efforts of Member States to increase access to healthcare(1). |
Source: European Parliament
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