Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis spoke on the decade of the Greek economic crisis and its impact on healthcare at the World Health Congress in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
The Congress takes place May 13-15 on the theme of "Transforming the Global Health Ecosystem: From Healthcare to Health".
In his address, Georgiadis said, "One of the first problems we had to deal with was the way services were provided to the uninsured, because during the economic crisis period many lost their insurance coverage and, along with it, access to the National Health System. Therefore, Greece followed the path of universal coverage for the entire population regarding healthcare services." The state budget was limited, he added, while health needs had spiked.
Georgiadis also spoke of the challenge of an aging population in the West, resulting in increased healthcare needs, while he also spoke of the Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR) initiative. "In Greece in November 2023, we announced the 23 measures proposed to be implemented to create a new PHSSR environment in our country. And I am pleased to announce that we have already begun their implementation."
The Health Minister was received by United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed Bin Zayed, while he met with his UAE counterpart Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al-Owais on the sidelines of the conference. The two ministers discussed potential areas of cooperation between the two countries. Additionally, Georgiadis also met with the Hellenic Business Council.