Call for support of pharmaceutical spending in Greece

Last week, leading representatives of patients’ associations, medical associations and pharmaceutical companies in Greece, for the first time in unison, made an ultimate appeal to the government and the Troika, the trio of international lenders, to act immediately to ensure that pharmaceutical expenditure does not fall below the red-line level 2.25 billion ($3.04 billion).

In their joint statement on behalf of all stakeholders in the pharmaceutical supply chain released at a press conference, they are calling for a stop to the brutal curtailment of pharmaceutical care for Greek citizens, pointing out in particular that the cut in the public pharmaceutical budget to 2 billion euros for 2014 as required by the Troika would have new devastating consequences on public health. What is needed, as they state, is to set a strict limit at 2.25 billion euros for 2014 and keep it unchanged for the next years until the eventual exit from the crisis.

Speaking on behalf of patients, the President of the Hellenic Liver Patient Association “Prometheus,” George Kalamitsis, stated, among other things, that in recent months patients find it increasingly difficult to access treatments, and there has been an increase in morbidity and in the financial burden to patients. As a result, a lot of patients do not follow their treatment regimen according to the instructions of physicians and their needs, putting their health at risk.