“Skipping medical tests due to cost, seeking medical advice online, and running up tabs at pharmacies” — this is the stark reality of the financial suffocation caused by the rising cost of living, as described to Parapolitika and journalist Julie Tsigka by the Secretary General of the Greek Association of Pathologists, Antonis Antoniadis, and the Vice President of the Pharmaceutical Association of Attica, Giannis Dagres.
“Since 2024, Greece has recorded the highest rate of unmet medical needs in Europe. This is attributed to cost, long waiting times for care, or the great distance from a doctor. One in three Greeks cannot access the medical care they need,” Antoniadis noted. “Here, we pay far more out of pocket for healthcare compared to other Europeans. At the same time, we are neglecting — or being forced to neglect — our visits to the doctor,” he added.
How the cost of living is seriously impacting healthcare
“More and more patients are reporting how difficult their financial situation has become. The problem is particularly acute for people with chronic conditions. They cannot afford to go without regular medical monitoring, yet there are not enough public health facilities to turn to, so they end up skipping their clinic appointments. To avoid paying, they seek medical advice at pharmacies or online. A natural consequence of all this hardship is a rise in anxiety, which in turn creates new health problems,” Antoniadis added.
What Giannis Dagres has to say
For his part, Giannis Dagres, Vice President of the Pharmaceutical Association of Attica, stressed that “pharmacy debt tabs have been growing in line with rising prices, and this has had a direct impact on healthcare, particularly when it comes to medication.”
“For the past 15 years, since the era of the Troika, many widely used medications have been removed from price regulation. The market was liberalized, and since then manufacturers and companies have been continuously raising their prices. These pharmaceutical products need to be brought back under a price regulation framework. Patient co-payments for medications have also increased significantly. Before the memoranda, they stood at 10–11%; after that, they shot up to nearly 30%, and while they have since come down somewhat, they remain high at around 20–21%,” Dagres continued.
“There is also a growing problem with products such as vitamins being sold online. Vitamins are not harmless — they have contraindications and can interact with other medications, so there needs to be proper oversight of that market. Pharmacies play an active role in delivering primary healthcare services. Greece has 10,000 pharmacies staffed by qualified pharmacists who can refer patients to the right medical specialist,” Dagres concluded.
