Reforming the National Health System is a top priority over the next four years, said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday, speaking at the ‘ygeiamou 2023 – A Modern People-Centred Health System’ conference, organized by ygeiamou.gr and Proto Thema newspaper.
“We are in a better spot compared to 2019,” he added, and noted that the coronavirus pandemic lead to a re-evaluation of priorities regarding the NHS.
Asked if he would redesign the NHS based on the health needs of the populations in the country’s regions, he noted that he is determined to proceed in this direction: “I believe that in four years we can have a different, new NHS, along those lines.”
Regarding improvements in hospitals, Mitsotakis said that funds for emergency departments have already been secured, while “there are other resources for hospital infrastructures, with which we can improve existing buildings,” he continued.
“In the health sector especially, we can mobilize even more private donations. It was done to some extent during the pandemic. We can do more and better,” he said.
As public finances improve overall, he noted, “we should think more about where to direct resources for public policies. It can be clawback interventions. We have a plan on how to reduce this burden. We also have other needs, such as increasing our doctors’ salaries.”
Mitsotakis also said that specific staff shortages do exist in the NHS, and that there are issues concerning basic health infrastructures, but that there are resources to be taken into account regarding these issues.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
