Uninsured can only get prescription drugs/tests from government agencies

Uninsured patients in Greece more will not be able to receive conventional medicines, laboratory tests and examinations free of charge or for a small out-of-pocket fee if prescribed by private doctors. The decision comes into force on July 1, 2022.

After a flurry of reactions, especially from associations of the chronically ill and physicians, the ministry drew up a list exceptions.

The Ministry of Health announced that from July 1, prescriptions for the uninsured will only be issued by doctors of public health structures, and not by private doctors, as has been the case until now.

According to the decision of the ministry, the following categories of uninsured citizens (mainly with chronic diseases) excluded of the new measures applied by the Ministry of Health to limit spending on the most vulnerable segments of the population.

1. Uninsured young people under 18.
2. Uninsured patients with a mental or emotional disability, autism, Down syndrome, bipolar disorder, depression with psychotic symptoms, cerebral palsy, or severe and multiple community committee-approved disability (KEPA) with a percentage of 80% or higher, for any condition.
3. Uninsured patients with diseases included in List B No. ΔΥΓ3(α)/οικ. 104747/26-10-2012 (B ‘2883) joint decision of the Ministers of Health and Labor and Social Affairs on amendments and additions to the joint ministerial decision no. F.42000 / οικ.2555 / 353 / 28-2-2012 (Government Gazette 497 / B / 2012) ” List of diseases medicines for which are prescribed with reduced or zero participation of the insured”, as amended no. Φ.42000 / οικ. Joint Ministerial Decision No. 12485/1481/6-6-2012 (Government Gazette 1814/B/2012) “as amended and in force from time to time, as well as uninsured patients suffering from immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
4. The appointment of all vaccines without exception to all uninsured citizens.

In the above cases, exclusively listed cases, the prescription of medicines, therapeutic effects and diagnostic examinations will be carried out by all doctors certified in the electronic prescription system (EPS) who work in the structures of the National Health System.

For uninsured patients who do not fall under the excluded categories mentioned above, mandatory e-prescription prescriptions, if performed by private physicians and not in government entities, are subject to participation. patient 100%.

PS Don’t be surprised if you see long queues in front of understaffed public hospitals and clinics, it will be the insured waiting for the doctor to prescribe medication and run diagnostic tests.

The uninsured may include the long-term unemployed, the self-employed, those who have applied for a pension and are waiting for it to be approved, the disabled who cannot work. Also, those who have been paying social security for many years, but for some reason do not work in the labor market, including tens of thousands of migrants who, due to tough laws on renewing residence permits, could not get one, which means they were automatically left without medical insurance, despite the fact that for many years they paid for this insurance.

Welcome to my neo-liberal Greek world.

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