Greece’s uninsured patients can only get prescription drugs/tests at public facilities. Exceptions
May 31, 2022
Uninsured patients in Greece will not longer be able to have regular drugs, laboratory tests and screenings free of charge or against a small percentage of payment from the own pocket if these are prescribed by private doctors. The decision goes into effect from 1. July 2022.
Following a series of reactions especially by chronic ill and doctors associations, the Ministry has compiled a list of exceptions.
The Ministry of Health announced that from July 1, the prescription for the uninsured will be done only through the doctors of the public health structures and not by private doctors as it was valid until now.
According to the ministerial decision, the following categories of uninsured citizens (mostly with chronic illnesses) are excluded from the new measures the health ministry applies to suppress expenditure to the most vulnerable ones
a. Uninsured young people up to 18 years old.
b. Uninsured patients with mental or emotional disability, autism, Down syndrome, bipolar disorder, depression with psychotic symptoms, cerebral palsy or severe and multiple disabilities confirmed by the public committees (KEPA) with a percentage of 80% and above, for any condition.
c. The uninsured patients with diseases, included in List B of No. ΔΥΓ3 (α) / οικ. 104747 / 26-10-2012 (Β ‘2883) joint decision of the Ministers of Health and Labor and Social Affairs on the amendment and rewording of the joint ministerial decision no. Φ.42000 / οικ.2555 / 353 / 28-2-2012 ( Government Gazette 497 / Β / 2012) “List of diseases, the drugs of which are administered with reduced or zero participation of the insured”, as amended by no. Φ.42000 / οικ. 12485/1481 / 6-6-2012 joint ministerial decision (Government Gazette 1814 / Β / 2012) “, as amended and in force from time to time, as well as the uninsured patients suffering from the syndrome of immune deficiency (AIDS).
d. The prescription of all vaccines without exception to all uninsured citizens.
In the above exclusively listed cases, the prescription of medicines, therapeutic action and diagnostic examinations will be done by all the doctors certified in the Electronic Prescribing System (EPS) doctors who serve in structures of the National Health System.
For the uninsured patients who do not belong to the excluded categories mentioned above, the prescription via the obligatorily electronically prescribed formulations, if it is done by the private doctors, and not in the public structures, is done with an indication of patient participation 100%.
PS Do not wonder if you see long queues outside the understaffed public hospitals and health centers, it will be the insured who will wait for a doctor to prescribe medicine and diagnostic checks.
Uninsured can be long-term unemployed, self-employed, those who have applied for pension and wait its approval, people with disabilities who cannot work. Also those who have paid long years of social security but are out of the labor market for whatever the reasons.
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