The Ministry of Health’s bill “Reforming the institution of the Personal Physician – Establishment of University Health Centers and other provisions” was approved by the Parliament with a large majority. With the new changes introduced by the bill, the Ministry of Health aims to ensure access to a Personal Doctor for every adult citizen of the country, offering free prevention and care services. In this context, the number of Personal Doctors is increasing, so that every citizen can register and have the possibility of free access to health services in the area where he lives and resides. The possibility is given, however, if the citizen does not wish to register with a free Personal Physician, to register with the private Internal Pathologist or General/Family Physician who attends him, compensating him.

For the first time, strong incentives are being given to increase the number of General Practitioners and Pathologists in the country. In addition, for the first time in our country, the personal pediatrician is institutionalized, where in the first phase, approximately 530,000 children will have free access, while 8 University Health Centers are established and telemedicine for remote areas is strengthened, so that all citizens have access to health services wherever they are.

In his speech to the Parliament, the Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis stated that the reform made by Thanos Pleuris, Mina Gaga, Marios Themistokleous and Irini Agapidaki, “is the first successful implementation of the family doctor after many previous ministers who they had legislated the institution, including me”. Specifically, he emphasized that during the ministry of Thanos Pleuris “the law worked from scratch” and we covered more than half of the country’s population, reaching 5.5 million, while now we aim to reach 7.5 million. “So not only did the reform not fail, it succeeded and is evolving. And this bill is its evolution”, said the Minister and especially congratulated Mrs. Agapidakis for the University Health Centers, characterizing them as a major reform because “they can not only contribute in a primary way to the provision of health services, but also at the same time raise the prestige of Primary Health Care”.

Regarding the opening of the free afternoon surgeries on November 28, Mr. Georgiadis stated that “this reform, which has been evaluated by the European Commission as a structurally important reform” makes it possible to create the structures to carry out 37 thousand free afternoon surgeries. The Minister of Health thanked Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, “who understood this proposal from the beginning, adopted it and helped with his personal prestige to make it a reality”, the former Commissioner of Greece to the EU. Margaritis Schinas, “who contributed decisively to the European authorities approving this major reform”, the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanasis “because without his own active contribution we would not have been able to get this approval so quickly” and Deputy Minister of Health Mario Themistokleous, “with whom we cooperated and are cooperating to make the afternoon surgeries a reality”. Finally, he commented on PASOK’s decision to vote “present” on the reform for free afternoon surgeries, saying that “there is not a single one who will do a free afternoon surgery and owe PASOK a moral reward.”

In her speech to the Parliament, the Deputy Minister of Health Irini Agapidaki, emphasized that the bill constitutes a historic moment for the Health sector in Greece, as it marks the first major steps for the reform of Primary Health Care in the country. “All the arrangements we make are firmly oriented towards PREVENTION and the establishment in our country for the first time of an organized system of free prevention. The strengthening of Primary Health Care in combination with the National Screening Program – “I prevent” and the Personal Doctor are building a solid PREVENTION edifice FOR ALL”, he pointed out.

Focusing on the 4 main reforms of the bill, the Deputy Minister explained that “We are strengthening the first degree, the first step of health care with: Free Personal Doctor for all citizens, financial incentives for new doctors to join the system, Personal pediatrician for children, Telemedicine & University Health Centers”, while at the same time he underlined that “the Personal Doctor who is included in Primary Health Care, he is par excellence the doctor of prevention, he is not the doctor who simply prescribes drugs, but the one who supports, advises and guides people responsibly within the health system”.

“Our first concern is mainly the citizen who is plagued by inequalities in Health. It is a declared choice of the Ministry of Health and the Government, not just a better National Health System, but the fight against inequalities in access to Health”, underlined the Deputy Minister, concluding that “The mission of all of us in the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis is to solve problems. This is what we did, this is what we are doing, this is what we will do, for the people, with the people.”

The main points of the bill:

Expansion of Staff Physicians: Involvement of more physicians, more specifically field service physicians and physicians who wish to acquire the specialty of General/Family Medicine, in their fifth year of training.
Financial incentives for young doctors: For the first time, 40,000 euros are given as a lump sum in gross earnings to those doctors who choose in the year 2025 to train in vacant positions in the specialties of General/Family Medicine and Internal Pathology.

Registration of a Personal Doctor at the local level (at the level of Municipality or Neighboring Municipalities or Regional Unit) so that every citizen has access to a doctor near where he lives, reducing barriers to access. Automatic registration for those citizens who do not register with a Personal Doctor of their choice by 01.06.2025.

Personal Paediatrician for children (no registration required): The Ministry of Health seeks to increase the number of available paediatricians by 100 to cover over half a million children in a first phase and in a later phase to increase the coverage rate of the child population.

8 University Health Centers are established in the 7 Medical Schools/Departments of the country (2 in Athens and 1 in the rest). 35 faculty members will serve in the University Health Centers, focusing on the provision of Prevention and Health Promotion services to citizens, the training of Primary Health Care physicians, research, the development of programs aimed at community health promotion and the provision of telemedicine services.

Telemedicine Stations are being introduced to University Health Centers with the aim that faculty members who will undertake the work of Emergency Medicine can examine citizens living in remote areas and advise their colleagues appropriately so that emergencies can be dealt with in a timely and efficient manner and reduce unnecessary transfers. In addition, the Telemedicine Network includes 3,500 home nursing locations across the country so that patients can have home care with 24-hour uninterrupted medical monitoring wherever they live in the country.