Staff shortages hinder access to healthcare in Greece
The President of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN), Mihalis Yannakos, highlighted the ongoing problems in Greece’s healthcare system, stressing that staff shortages, long waiting lists, and inadequate infrastructure are making it increasingly difficult for citizens to access medical services.
Speaking on a television program, Yannakos cited data from the Ministry of Health and a Eurostat survey, noting that Greece ranks first among EU countries in terms of “unmet healthcare needs.”
He underlined that long waiting lists and infrastructure deficiencies create serious barriers for patients, adding:
“This negative distinction reveals the damage caused by past austerity policies to essential social services such as healthcare. To this day, these gaps have not been adequately addressed.”
Yannakos emphasized that the core issue lies in understaffing and the failure of the family doctor system. He also pointed out that limited public services in areas such as dental care remain among the most pressing problems for citizens.
(Source: ANA-MPA)
