Pharmacists will launch a 48-hour strike December 17-18th 2012 to protest the non-payment of outstanding debts by the Greek health ministry. At the same time, they continue to refuse handing out prescription medicine on credit. Millions of insured Greeks see themselves obliged to pay from their own pockets for prescription medicine and thus for the fourth week. They can claim the paid amount from National Health Organisation (EOPYY) that normally needs more than 3-4 months to give them the money back.
The broke Greek patient will get even more troubled upcoming week, as private doctors assigned to EOPYY will suspend their cooperation, and the patient will have to pay form his own pocket for visits and checks. the doctors protest outstanding payments from EOPYY.
It is the fourth time within 2012 that the Greek patient is being held hostage by the pharmacists and the health ministry.
Can you imagine, a chronic ill pensioner of 600 euro per month having to pay 4x 200 in a year to get medicine and also pay for doctor visits?
The health minister must indeed come not from this space but from another very outer space…
State hospital doctors and personnel will join the public sector 24-hour strike on December 19th 2012. Hospitals will treat only emergencies.
BTW: when pharmacists on strike, patients can obtain medicine from those on emergency duty.
