Parliament: Topical question from Tsipras to Mitsotakis about drug shortages

Topical question about drug shortages submitted to Kyriakos Mitsotakis The Alexis Tsipras.

“Our country is experiencing a prolonged public health crisis as a result of the political choices of the Mitsotakis government in the field of health. The health crisis is rekindling at a time when the National Health System, due to the government’s choices, is experiencing one of the worst moments in its history” emphasizes the president of SYRIZA in his question to the prime minister.

Among other things, Mr. Tsipras asks the prime minister if he will “assume the minimum political responsibility for the health insecurity in the country, the difficulties of access to the necessary health care”.

The current question in detail:

“TO: the Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis

SUBJECT: “Will the Prime Minister take minimal political responsibility for the country’s health insecurity, difficulties in accessing necessary health care and unprecedented drug shortages, or will he continue to favor profiteering at the risk of public health?”

Our country is experiencing a protracted public health crisis as a result of the political choices of the Mitsotakis government in the field of health. The health crisis is rekindling, at a time when the National Health System, due to government choices, is experiencing one of the worst moments in its history, with many clinics, departments and services suspended. The public health system is operating with 10,000 fewer health workers than last year, while citizens are directed to the paid evening operation of hospitals or the private sector and are burdened by tests and prescriptions.

Even in the face of the pandemic, which most European countries have left behind, our country continues to register a “black” lead, both in deaths and cases. Greece is in the first positions in cases in people over 65, but also in the general population. This development combined with the increase in cases of influenza and other respiratory infections puts even more pressure on hospitals, especially the critical arms of the EDs, pathology and pediatric clinics and ICUs.

These days a 6-year-old child lost his life, because he started from Grevena and, to find an available ICU, he had to reach Rio because in all of Northern Greece there was not one ICU for a child and he had to travel 300 kilometers by an ambulance, which broke down on the road. This is unfortunately only one picture of the tragic situation in the public health system, but it seems that it will not be the last.

For months, significant shortages of daily use and essential medicines have been observed throughout the country. The National Medicines Agency (EOF) published shortly before the end of the year the largest list of drug shortages ever published, cumulatively recording 232 missing or completely missing preparations. The situation has become even worse in recent times due to the increase in cases of flu and other respiratory infections which have driven up the demand for a range of medicines, especially pediatric, syrup and inhaled as well as over-the-counter cold medicines.

In fact, the Mitsotakis Government failed to face another difficulty, letting it develop into a crisis, as the now multi-month shortage of medicines came to be recognized as a problem by the Ministry of Health just before the holidays. Since then, the Minister of Health has been arguing with vagueness and exaggerations, speaking sometimes of a global phenomenon, other times of “parents who stockpile medicines for their children resulting in a shortage in the market”, or even of irresponsible doctors who overprescribe.

• Because unmet health needs in the country have skyrocketed
• Because households in the midst of a crisis of income and accuracy cannot be burdened with inelastic health costs.
• Because the Government with its policies cannot guarantee the health safety of neither adults nor children, especially in a period of reopening schools and acute pediatric health needs.
• Because access to medicine cannot be like access to any other commercial product, where we wait for the market to “regulate itself”.

The prime minister is asked:

• Will the Prime Minister take the minimum political responsibility for the health insecurity in the country, the difficulties of accessing the necessary health care and the unprecedented shortages of medicines, or will he continue to favor profiteering at the risk of public health?
• Will he submit even now a plan to deal with the dramatic drug shortages, or will he insist on the supposed self-regulation of the market, serving the profiteering with parallel exports and passing on the costs to the citizens with the increase in drug prices?

The questioner
Alexis Tsipras

Chief Opposition Officer”

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