PRESS RELEASE
“Certain things can't be hidden under
the red carpet rolled out for the Troika...”
The
government and the officials at the Ministry of Health may put on a show,
trying to convince us that everything is getting better, but studies regarding
the status of health care at a European level, prove them liars once again, mirroring
the stark reality of the crisis in Greece.
According
to the study of Eurofound (2013): “Impacts of the crisis on access to
healthcare services in the EU”, referring
to the impact of the financial crisis upon Health services in EU countries, in
Greece in particular (without taking into account the even worse developments
that have taken place during the past two years)
·
there
was a 43% rise from 2007
to 2011 in people that have not been able to
meet their medical needs due to the rising cost
·
spending
on public Health has decreased by 12% in 2010 and by a
further 14% in
2011
·
there
was an increase in cases of tuberculosis, influenza, sexually transmitted
diseases and even malaria that re-emerged, due to the drastic cuts in prevention
and infection control measures, especially among vulnerable population groups
Furthermore,
according to the article
published by the prestigious medical journal The Lancet (Volume 378,
Issue 9801, 22 October 2011)
·
there
was a 40% rise in suicides in 2011 in comparison to 2010, while 25% of the callers in help-lines where facing
financial difficulties
·
the
Greek chapter of the Medecins du Monde estimates that the proportion of Greeks
seeking medical attention from their street-clinics rose from 3-4% before the
crisis to about 30%
The Lancet article
ends with a warning: “In
an effort to finance debts, ordinary people are paying the ultimate price: Losing access to care and
preventive services, facing higher risks of sexually transmitted diseases, and
in the worst cases losing their lives. Greater attention to health and
health-care access is needed, to ensure that the Greek crisis does not
undermine the ultimate source of the country's wealth -its people.”.
If one adds
to all this the three million citizens without any social security and
therefore without access to public health services, one can get a clear picture
of the results of the “Memorandum” policies and the collapse of the National Healthcare
System.
Is anyone
listening?
+++
References:
References:
The Lancet Volume 378, Issue 9801, 22 October 2011 - Alexander Kentikelenis, Marina Karanikolos, Irene Papanicolas, Sanjay Basu, Martin McKee, David Stuckler - Health effects of financial crisis: Οmens of a Greek tragedy
Eurofound (2013) Impacts of the crisis on access to
healthcare services in the EU -
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