“Our superior purpose with this measure is to rationalize a chaotic situation, wherever determination are nary chiseled units due to the fact that nary budgets are submitted, nary wide fiscal reports are filed, and determination is nary accountability. As a result, each their deficiencies are covered by the wide operational expenses of the General Staff.”
This was the cardinal connection delivered by the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Dendias, during his code to the applicable committee of the Hellenic Parliament, successful the discourse of the statement connected the measure titled “Regulation of Health Matters of the Armed Forces and Other Provisions.” Dendias emphasized that the extremity is to safeguard the revenues of subject hospitals, execute fiscal rationalization, and guarantee their continued operation.
In effect to absorption criticism—most of which described the measure arsenic fragmented, vague, and lacking successful cohesion portion stressing the request for a broad program to code ongoing issues and decently enactment Armed Forces personnel—Dendias reassured that the Defense Ministry’s enactment is unfastened to constructive suggestions.
“Criticism is invited and necessary, but it indispensable besides basal up to scrutiny. This measure is not carved successful marble oregon stone. We volition follow immoderate connection that improves it,” helium argued. He pointed retired the peculiar fiscal operation of subject hospitals, noting that none of them adjacent person a taxation recognition fig (AFM).
“Funds from the National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (EOPYY) are not retained successful afloat by the subject hospitals. A important information is redirected to status money accounts. You cognize this, but nary 1 mentioned it,” said Dendias, adding:
“How tin hospitals beryllium expected to past financially erstwhile portion of their gross goes toward pension contributions? And however tin a infirmary basal without adjacent a taxation ID, without immoderate ceremonial work to taxable a fund oregon a due equilibrium expanse that tin withstand scrutiny? We cognize these issues exist. The crushed this measure is being introduced is to bring bid to a chaotic strategy wherever units bash not taxable budgets oregon wide reports, look nary accountability, and trust connected the wide budgets of the General Staff. This has been the norm for galore years. I haven’t heard anyone assertion this is the close mode to operate.”
Dendias besides emphasized the financial viability of subject hospitals, which, helium said, is presently unsustainable owed to debased occupancy rates.
“It has been said that these hospitals indispensable past for the payment of subject personnel. That is correct. It has besides been mentioned that they deficiency the indispensable unit to connection required services. But bash you recognize the prime of services successful subject hospitals? Clearly not. The 401 General Military Hospital of Athens had an occupancy complaint of 55% successful 2024. Do you cognize immoderate infirmary successful the satellite that tin past with specified a rate?” helium asked rhetorically, and continued:
“The champion performing infirmary is the Naval Hospital with a 62% occupancy rate, portion the 404 Military Hospital operates astatine lone 38%. Is it incorrect to summation these occupancy rates for the involvement of the hospitals and their staff? No infirmary portion tin past economically with specified numbers. Either you trim beds and unit oregon you summation occupancy. Do you deliberation I’m doing the judiciary a favour oregon handing retired governmental favors?”
He was besides captious regarding the NIMTS subject hospital. “Has it been decently managed until now? Do you cognize however galore beds are occupied compared to its capacity?” helium asked, underlining:
“I consciousness uncomfortable discussing an contented erstwhile we deficiency adjacent the basal data. We indispensable archetypal hold connected what is incorrect oregon what needs betterment earlier debating what regularisation to enact.”
“We’re discussing what we should do. Don’t presume that a curate oregon lawman curate simply had a imagination and woke up the adjacent greeting to draught this proposal.”
Dendias described the measure arsenic having wide objectives.
“First, to code the large administrative issues of subject hospitals—and I accidental that politely—and to enactment their personnel, including introducing important innovations. The 2nd large portion of the measure concerns improving entree to wellness services for Armed Forces unit done this healthcare system,” helium said.
“I afloat stock the ambition for this to go the champion healthcare strategy successful the country. I besides enactment the close of Greek Armed Forces unit to entree wellness services some wrong and extracurricular the subject system, conscionable similar immoderate different Greek citizen. This is their right. It is not mandatory. If they take not to usage it, they are not forced to. Nor is security mandatory. But they are not second-class citizens. It is incorrect to ghettoize them. They person the close to question attraction wherever they judge they volition person the champion treatment. And it is my work to guarantee they person the champion imaginable attraction wrong the Armed Forces’ system. That’s what this authorities aims to establish.”
On the absorption side, PASOK’s wide rapporteur Michalis Katrinis powerfully criticized the government, accusing it of erstwhile again submitting a measure that does not genuinely code the deeper problems of the subject wellness attraction system, contempt including immoderate affirmative provisions.
He claimed that the government, alternatively of solving the issues it created wrong the National Health System (NHS), is present transferring those problems to the Armed Forces. According to him, the caller legislative inaugural from the Ministry of Defense further weakens subject hospitals by enabling greater engagement of subject aesculapian unit successful the NHS.
He besides highlighted the lack of meaningful incentives for supporting subject aesculapian unit and criticized the instauration of backstage security and security companies into subject hospitals—a move, helium said, that contrasts with planetary norms.
“While we enactment the societal quality of the Armed Forces, that does not mean the chiseled relation of subject hospitals should beryllium undermined—something that remains intelligibly defined successful each Western defence systems,” Katrinis stressed.
“PASOK cannot, successful principle, endorse a measure that fails to unafraid the indispensable resources, capable staffing, and due incentives to present connected its promises. We volition not consent to the further degradation of subject healthcare.”
SYRIZA’s wide rapporteur Symeon Kedikoglou was likewise critical, asserting that the measure gradually leads subject hospitals—once considered models of healthcare—towards financial suffocation, degradation, and devaluation.
He voiced absorption to integrating subject hospitals into the NHS during emergencies, arsenic good arsenic to the proviso allowing infirmary administrators to beryllium appointed from the backstage sector. He warned that specified moves could pb to mass resignations among subject doctors, and criticized what helium called a degradation successful grooming standards and vague provisions that foster suspicion astir the bill’s existent intentions.
The KKE’s representative, Giorgos Lambroulis, opposed the bill, arguing that the improvement of subject wellness services is being adapted to cost-benefit criteria—just similar the NHS—and volition endure the aforesaid devastating consequences of devaluation. He pointed to inadequate staffing, infrastructure deficiencies, and underfunding arsenic barriers to gathering the needs of entitled personnel.
“The members of the Armed Forces look the aforesaid problems arsenic the NHS owed to longstanding anti-popular policies that prioritize concern radical profits. This measure not lone fails to code these existent problems but besides promotes the commercialization of subject healthcare,” helium said.
Stelios Fotopoulos of the Hellenic Solution party acknowledged some positive and antagonistic provisions, stating that subject hospitals—once jewels of aesculapian care—are being degraded. He supported the thought of extending their operations beyond regular hours, provided that capable staffing is ensured, and praised the proviso allowing subject doctors to enactment NHS units successful emergencies arsenic a measurement successful the close direction.
“We hold connected galore points, but the steps being taken are excessively small. We would similar bolder enactment measures for Armed Forces personnel,” helium concluded.
Tasos Oikonomopoulos of the NIKI party said that portion the measure moves successful the close absorption toward ensuring the healthcare needs of Armed Forces unit and their families, it is efficaciously undermined by staffing shortages and underfunding.
Alexandros Kazamias from the Plefsi Eleftherias party argued that the bill’s goals are not addressed effectively. He claimed that alternatively of transferring the high-quality attraction offered by subject hospitals to the NHS, the authorities is alternatively burdening subject hospitals with the NHS’s superior problems. He besides accused the Ministry of Defense of attempting to reform subject healthcare without allocating immoderate budget, trying to person it some ways.
Sia Anagnostopoulou from the New Left accused the authorities of aligning its efforts with the commodification of healthcare and backstage labour models, arsenic seen successful the NHS. “You’re trying to betterment subject hospitals with a zero budget,” she stressed.
Alexandros Zerveas from the Spartans party said it was “unthinkable” for civilians to person entree to subject hospitals and warned that appointing backstage individuals arsenic infirmary administrators posed a serious nationalist information risk.
Independent MPs Theodora Tzakri and Evangelos Apostolakis called for clarifications of circumstantial provisions successful the bill.
Finally, ND’s wide rapporteur, Yiannis Andrianos, described the measure arsenic a “substantive and multifaceted legislative intervention,” which is portion of the government’s broader strategical program for the comprehensive upgrade and meaningful enactment of Armed Forces personnel.
Ask maine anything
Explore related questions
Greek (GR) · 
English (US) ·