Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis described the proposal by government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis regarding unemployment benefits as “interesting” during his appearance on Parapolitika 90.1, on the show “Ekini ki Ego” with Thanasis Fouskidis and Stella Gkantona. While noting that the issue is “complex” and “cannot be answered in a single phrase,” and reaffirming that unemployment benefit is a contributory system and a “social safety net,” he posed the question: “When unemployment is close to 6% and every business you walk into says they can’t find workers, perhaps the tool should be reversed and turned into an employment subsidy?”
He also addressed the Health and Welfare Services Inspectorate, clarifying that it has not been abolished but has been merged into the National Transparency Authority. He stressed that an assessment is needed to determine whether this decision was truly effective, noting that the Authority has conducted inspections and imposed fines, among other actions.
Georgiadis on the Mazonakis case: “No complaint had been filed about the clinic – credential verification falls under the relevant medical association”
Commenting on the case of Giorgos Mazonakis and the apology he issued, and asked whether any complaints had been filed with the Athens Medical Association or the Ministry of Health prior to the incident, he said: “I have no complaint on record. The fact that the medical association visited three times in 18 months says something. Hiding the machine to evade inspection is fraud. Inspections are unannounced, but this one didn’t catch what it should have.” When asked about an alleged degree in “quantum medicine” and the verification of credentials, he stated that this responsibility lies with the relevant medical association. “They held a degree and a valid license — one was a pathologist, the other a general practitioner.”
Georgiadis: Scientific information and the need for a “filter”
Asked how patients can protect themselves, he said: “I am preparing a dedicated app where patients can see exactly what a clinic is authorized to do.” On advertising, he noted that it is “already prohibited.” “The law permits the communication of information on scientific matters — Ms. Gaka claimed she was informing the public about a new procedure called plasmapheresis.” He added: “Since I cannot personally judge what is and isn’t scientific, a filter must be introduced.” The minister indicated that prior to any publication of medical content online, approval from the relevant medical association should be required.
“Plasmapheresis is a very serious medical procedure — it must be recommended by a physician and there must be a very compelling reason,” Georgiadis stressed, adding that “many people attended that clinic, including several celebrities. Not one of them filed a complaint.”
“The Health Services Inspectorate never stopped operating”
On the Health and Welfare Services Inspectorate, he emphasized: “It was not abolished — it was merged into the National Transparency Authority. It never stopped operating.” “The idea in 2019 was that building a powerful centralized oversight mechanism could make it more effective. That’s where the Inspectorate was transferred, and we need to measure whether it has been effective. The Authority conducts inspections and has imposed fines. In this particular case, no complaint was ever filed.”
Responding to criticism that Ms. Gaka had spoken at conferences attended by government officials, he dismissed it as a “witch hunt,” referring to the online presence of former ministers Pleuras, Kikilias, and Patoulis at a webinar held under the auspices of the Ministry of Health. He noted that the conference was organized by the respected professor Mr. Tountas — with a background in PASOK — who had assembled a committee of university professors from across all institutions. He clarified that responsibility for the selection of speakers rests with those who organized the program, and that he would have granted ministerial endorsement only given the guarantee of individuals such as Mr. Tountas. “I was not at the Ministry of Health at the time,” he noted. On the political figures facing criticism for their attendance, he said: “Kikilias, Pleuras, and Patoulis gave a brief online greeting on the first day, and the following day Ms. Gaka spoke for five minutes. Do you really believe they could have known who she was?”
On Marinakis’ statement about unemployment benefits, he said: “He was expressing a personal opinion, which he made clear. In New Democracy, we are fortunately not communists. We encourage freedom of speech and thought — Mr. Marinakis had every right to express his opinion, even as a government spokesman. It is a very complex issue and I cannot answer it in a single phrase. Unemployment benefit — which is contributory, received by workers based on deductions from their salary and employer contributions — is a social safety net. When unemployment is close to 6% and every business you walk into says it can’t find workers, perhaps the tool should be reversed and turned into an employment subsidy? It’s a nuanced discussion that cannot be had on the fly. When I was at the Ministry of Labour, I legislated the following: tourism workers don’t work for three months in winter, and at that time restaurants in Athens couldn’t find staff — most likely because those workers were working off the books. I legislated that they could work legally for up to 12 days a month without losing their unemployment benefit.” “It’s an interesting discussion — nobody is abolishing any unemployment benefit.”
Georgiadis: “Compared to other countries, we are experiencing the most remarkable period of prosperity since joining the EEC”
Providing context for his statement about Greece experiencing its most “remarkable period of prosperity,” he said: “Compared to other countries, we are experiencing the most remarkable period of prosperity since joining the EEC,” referring to the country’s declining unemployment, growth rate, and debt reduction — all of which are “simultaneously above the European average,” something that “has never happened before,” he declared.
On the prospect of elections with fuel prices at €3 per litre, he said: “We elect the Greek Prime Minister, not the ruler of the planet. No prime minister can control what happens in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, or with Putin. Right now we have a pipeline in Saudi Arabia that won’t be operating, the Strait of Hormuz, a Red Sea being blocked by the Houthis, and Ukrainian strikes on refineries causing disruptions to diesel production.”
Asked why fuel prices in Greece don’t fall when global prices drop, he noted that “the price of fuel in Greece, excluding taxes, ranked 21st out of 27 EU countries for the entire first half of 2026. There are 20 countries above us with higher fuel prices.” He called on media outlets to stop talking about cartels and to stop peddling “doom and gloom.” “Our market is functioning,” he stressed.
Georgiadis closed the interview with sharp words directed at opposition leaders Nikos Androulakis and Alexis Tsipras: “I hear Androulakis and Tsipras talking about cartels — you who are going to break up the cartels, can you name a single businessman? If you’re afraid to say the name, Alexis, Nikos — which cartels are you actually going to break up?”
