The greatness of their insignificance show politicians fighting over the exhausted body of the Greek patient. The ball of responsibility is thrown in all directions. While patients struggle to find life-saving medicine, the Greek health sector has collapsed, the National Healthcare System (EOPPY) has difficulties to get important supplies, pharmacists do not hand out drugs to insurers on credit due to EOPPY debts, politicians play ping-pong throwing the responsibility ball around. The state has no money, the patients have no money, but no health minister dares admitting he may have done something wrong.
A fierce brawl occured this morning as Andreas Loverdos, the former health minister responsible fo rthe health sector reform, and the President of Hospital Physicians Dimitris Varnavas. Invited to privat Skai TV to talk about the severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies, Varnavas verbally attacked Loverdos, claiming that the former Health minister was “dealer of private interests for two years”.
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Loverdos jumped in into the live programme per telephone and then the hell broke out…
The former health minister called Varnavas to name ‘names’ in order to support his arguments. As Varnavas did not complied, Loverdos described him as somebody who pretends to be a “doctor’. “Poltroon, you play doctor!” Loverdos said.
“I am a doctor, I do not pretend to be one. Also I do not pretend be minister with 46 counselors. You dissolved the national healthcare sector and you are not ashamed to appear in front of the Greek people, you are a dealer of interests,” Varnavas said to Loverdos.
An enraged Loverdos fought back calling Varnavas “coward, liar, slanderer” and an official from SYRIZA!
Vanrvas’ answer was that Loverdos is challenged to sue him and concluded by saying that the government chose to give 430 million euro to the loan sharks and let the health care system to die out. [Varvavas was referring to the payment of the Greek bond to holders who refused to participate in the Greek bond swap (PSI)]
Just recently Loverdos said that had the country a regular and not a caretaker government the problem would have been solved. He claimed that the medicines and medical supplies problem occurred because Greece’s lenders did not give 1 billion euro from the bailout tranche in May [due to political instability].
Loverdos statement triggered an outrage among people, insurers and politicians from other parties as well.
President of EOPPY Gerasimos Voudouris said Tuesday morning that EOPPY needs 452 million euro per month to cover the needs of Greek patients across the country.
It looks that a solution may be under way with the state to pay pharmacists but the question is how temporary or permanent can this solution be.
Greek media report that pharmaceutical companies demand payments in advance. Citizens wonder that when the profits of pharmaceutical companies were ten times more, they were accepting to be paid once a year or every three years. Now that drugs prices went down with a 15-18% profit they need payments in advance…
More on Greece’s medicine shortage problems Here
