Shortage of doctors in new primary care platform

More than 3.1 million Greek citizens aged 16 and over have registered with a personal doctor since the implementation of the new primary healthcare system began at the beginning of August, Health Ministry officials say.

But one in four eligible doctors in private practice have joined the platform, alongside their colleagues who are employed in the National Health System. Given that there is a limit as to the number of people a personal doctor can advise, this creates shortages. In the Attica region, which includes the capital, Athens, the number of doctors who have joined the platform is enough to cover 55% of the population; overall coverage in the country is 75%.

A top Health Ministry official also spoke of needed “interventions to improve dysfunctions that appear” in the system.

The system, which will be fully deployed from the start of the new year, provides for a single doctor to constantly monitor a patient, record and update his/her medical history, direct them to other specialists, prescribe medicines and suggest appropriate treatments.

So far, only general practitioners and pathologists have been included in the system. The Health Ministry wants to add cardiologists, lung specialists, rheumatologists and other specialists that deal with long-term patients, said Alternate Health Minister Mina Gaga.

“We are changing primary health care in our country,” said the ministry secretary for primary health care Marios Themistocleous. “We created the (personal doctor) for a holistic approach to citizens’ health. Beyond the traditional diagnosis and treatment, we focus on prevention and health education. The personal doctor will advise on the importance of prevention and adoption of a healthy lifestyle.”