Every second Greek says he had a surplus of medicines in the past year

A survey published by diNEOSis revealed several interesting facts regarding the annual consumption of medicines by Greeks, as well as how they use healthcare services.

It is worth noting that a 2017 study by GIVMED found that 34 million packs of medicines are thrown away every year in Greece, while another study by IΦET estimates their value at around one billion euros.

Further insights into our “relationship with medicines” are revealed by the results of a new national opinion poll conducted by GIVMED under the scientific direction of the Health Policy Institute in collaboration with diNEOsis.

The survey results show that cost is an important factor in access to health care and therefore to medicines: respondents estimated the average cost of their medical needs last year at 955 euros. 14% of the population, or approximately one in seven, say they have spent more than €1,000. It is also interesting that a fairly large part of the sample, approximately one in four (23.3%), does not know or did not indicate the amount they spent.

22% said that in the past year there were times when they did not use necessary medical services due to their cost – for most this also included taking medications. According to an analysis by Kyriakos Souliotis, those diagnosed with a chronic disease are 48% more likely to cannot use medical services because of their cost.

On the other side, every second person claims to have received medications “in abundance.” When the same participants are asked to answer why this happened, most of them claim that the reason is that their treatment was completed and … the pills were left.

15.1% of them (corresponding to 6.9% of the total population) believe that the doctor prescribed them more medicine than they neededand about the same number (14% and 6.4% respectively) say that they bought more medicines than they needed.

Of the pharmaceuticals available at home, they say, on average about 3 boxes are expired And more than half say they throw them in the trash. About one in four say they have donated expired medications in the past year: an average of 5.6 boxes. However, of those who say they did not donate medicine, every fifth person says they didn’t know where to donate it.

But why is it so important to properly use or destroy drugs that we no longer need? On the one hand, there is an obvious risk that they will be accessed by people who should not, such as children or the elderly. At the same time, many unused drugs, which for many reasons remain in cabinets until they expire and are then thrown away, may be given for treatment to other people who do not have access to them (or because, for example, they cannot cover their cost ).

But in addition to this, additional harm to the environment can be caused by throwing some medications either into a trash container (not intended for this!), and then into landfills, or into the sewer network (which is also unacceptable!).

Pharmacies have a container for “throwing away” medications you no longer need.

The study published by diNEOSis is a particularly useful tool because it covers many aspects of the population’s use of health services, particularly medication consumption. Its findings, presented above, can be useful to both the state and civil society organizations. The study analytically identifies the preferences and habits of the population in the use of medical services and consumption of medicines. Consequently, it can contribute to the development of more effective policies and actions on an important issue.

The study was conducted under the scientific direction of the Health Policy Institute in collaboration with diNEOSis, and data collection was conducted by ProRata between December 6 and December 13, 2023, on a sample of 1,000 people representative of the general population. At the same time, a report by Kyriakos Souliotis, professor of health policy and dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the University of the Peloponnese, is published, where the results are presented, analyzed and commented on.

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