European Commissioner for Health Discusses Greek Sector
In an ANA-MPA interview, European Commissioner for Health Tonio Borg stated that if health sector reforms had not been enforced in Greece, its healthcare structure would be desecrated.
Borg is currently in Athens participating in an EU Health Ministers informal discussion. He added that prior to the nation's economic crisis, "...the need for reforms was visible, but after the crisis it became urgent".
The European Commissioner for Health described that the challenges do not just pertain to Greece, but other nation's health mechanisms need adjustments as well. He stated, "I can tell you the positive and the negative aspects of what has happened in Greece. There was an improvement in the reduction of pharmaceutical expenditure. Greece spent almost 2 pct of the GDP for medicine. This has changed".
Borg added: "The uninsured apparently need additional protection measures...If the crisis led to a better coverage for the citizens in the future, let's stick to the positive aspect of the crisis and not to the crisis itself. We can't talk about healthcare without a stable health system...without reforms, most of the European health systems will collapse. For that reason, the reduction of expenses was necessary and not only because we were ordered by the troika".