The Deputy Minister of Health, Marios Themistokleous, regarding the future of the National Health System (ESY), refuting rumors of closures at hospitals.
In a wide-ranging interview with the newspaper “Parapolitika,” Mr. Themistokleous clarified the government’s strategy regarding public health, sending a clear message of reassurance to citizens and hospital workers.
The Deputy Minister emphatically stressed that the country’s new healthcare roadmap, which is currently being drafted, will under no circumstances serve as a “guide” for reducing or downsizing public healthcare infrastructure.
On the contrary, its goal is the rational allocation of resources and the improvement of services provided in each region.
The interview with Themistokleous:
QUESTION: Mr. Themistokleous, you are the only one who claims that the debts of hospitals in the National Health System (ESY) across the country to third parties have decreased drastically in recent years, but all the figures that have been made public show that National Health System hospitals continue to account for the largest portion of the government’s overdue debts. What is actually going on?
ANSWER: The central drug ordering system has already been put into operation, through which the management of pharmaceutical spending is moving to a completely different level of control and transparency. This is a change that had been discussed for decades but had not been implemented. The next critical step is the timely implementation of the clawback mechanism to eliminate the accumulation of overdue liabilities in the pharmaceutical expenditure sector. At the same time, the registries for suppliers and medical supplies are being activated, and over the next year we will move forward with the implementation of dynamic procurement systems, a modern procurement model used internationally that will allow for greater transparency, better prices, and more effective cost control. I am not claiming that a problem that has been building up for decades can be solved overnight. I am claiming, however, that for the first time there is a coherent operational plan that changes the way the entire public health procurement system operates.
Q.: Can you provide us with a figure representing the accumulated debts of National Health System (ESY) hospitals nationwide to third parties? What is the current total?
A.: The hospitals’ overdue liabilities as of December 31, 2023, amounted to 1.28 billion euros. By December 31, 2024, they had been reduced to 1.02 billion euros, and by December 31, 2025, to 560 million euros. This is the lowest level of hospitals’ overdue debts to suppliers in recent years. I am certain that many would have expected the situation to be even better or even for a definitive solution to the problem to have already been found. However, we are not simply dealing with an accounting issue. We are facing a long-standing problem that is inextricably linked to the way the National Health System’s procurement process operates. For the first time, we are not merely trying to reduce overdue payments. We are changing the mechanism that generates them.
Q.: One of the most significant reforms in the field of healthcare will be the digital management of oncology patients. First of all, has the project been delayed? And, second, could you give us a practical example that explains what problems this reform will solve?
A. : The digital transformation of oncology care is not an IT project. It is a reform that can substantially improve the quality of treatment and patient follow-up. For someone battling cancer, time, accurate information, and coordination among healthcare professionals are critical factors. The National Registry of Patients with Neoplastic Diseases is already operational, which is linked to the National Electronic Health Record and gives doctors immediate access to the information they need to make better and faster decisions. Here’s a simple example: Today, a cancer patient often has to carry test results and medical reports from doctor to doctor and from hospital to hospital. With the new system, their medical history will be immediately available to treating physicians, reducing delays, duplicate tests, and unnecessary inconvenience. At the same time, a new mobile app will allow patients to view their treatment plan, receive reminders, communicate more easily with their medical team, and access support services.
Q.: Ultimately, could the definitive solution for full healthcare coverage in our country’s remote areas and islands be the development of air ambulance services and telemedicine, rather than efforts to provideincentives to attract new doctors to these areas?
A.: Neither telemedicine can fully replace the doctor who is right there with the patient, nor can air ambulance services meet all the needs of a local community. That is why our strategy is based on a combination of all available tools. On the one hand, we are constantly strengthening financial and institutional incentives to attract doctors to island and remote areas. On the other hand, we are investing heavily in telemedicine so that a resident of a small island can have access to specialized medical services without having to travel. At the same time, we are upgrading the air ambulance network for emergencies, where time can be critical to a patient’s life.
Q.: Both you and the Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiadis, have stated that no hospitals in the National Health System (ESY) or other healthcare facilities will be closed or merged. The question then is: Why is the country’s healthcare map being drawn up if everything is going to remain as it is?
A. : The healthcare map is not a plan to close hospitals. We are not creating a map to tear things down. We are creating a map to build better. Our country today is different from what it was 20 or 30 years ago. Demographic data have changed, the population’s health needs have changed, and the capabilities of medicine have also changed. We cannot plan tomorrow’s National Health System using yesterday’s data. For the first time, the health map provides us with a comprehensive picture of the population’s actual health needs, the shortcomings, the capabilities, and the prospects of each region.
