Desperate Greeks heard Friday that public hospitals of the country are lacking in medicine. As a result, people struggling with serious deseases and illnesses are helpless, since the companies providing their medicine announced that they stop transactions with the Greek state if they are not paid in cash.
Some Greek fund officials announced that people belonging to specific funds will have the chance -especially cancer patients – to order their medicine and take them after two days. But this only a temporary solution and unfortunately, patients belonging to funds not included in Greek EOPYY organization will be excluded from this provision.
According to Keep Talking Greece, Zoi Grammatoglou, head of the Cancer Sufferers Volunteer Organization, said some patients have cancelled their chemotherapy as unable to afford the costs of treatment.
Only Medics reported “approximately 163 critical drugs are now unobtainable from pharmacies in Greece.” Hospitals are also running out of funds to restock vital drugs and patients are left scrambling to source their own prescriptions. The Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Association issued a statement saying “Already we have cancer sufferers going from hospital to hospital to try and find drugs because no one can afford to stock them. If the shortages get worse, God knows what we will see.”
Relatives of deceased cancer patients are offering unused cancer drugs to pharmacies to supply to those in need.
A Greek Attorney ordered the officials to determine if there are any crimes in these cases, including putting human lives in danger.
Moreover, pharmacists deny selling drugs to the Greek state and the funds, so that patients pay the entire value of their treatment. Since May patients have been obligated to pay the full price of drugs as there is no longer any rebate available through social security funds which previously covered at least 75 percent of the cost of drugs for those with insurance.
Pharmacists claim that the Greek state owes them a great amount of money and turned to the Council of State to legally run against EOPYY. Costas Lourantos, President of the Attica Pharmacists Association, stresses “We’ve paid in advance for drugs amounting to 1 billion euros, while the state has given us back nothing.”
At the same time, medicine suppliers decided to halt deliveries of medical material on credit to six public hospitals all over Greece beginning Tuesday, demanding to be paid off for, at least, a part of the debts amounting to 130 million.
Leader of New Democracy party, Antonis Samaras, intervenes:
Antonis Samaras made an announcement in regards to the medicines problem. He stated that he called Premier Panagiotis Pikrammenos and encouraged him to find, no matter what way, the money needed to provide citizens with the necessary medicines. He also stressed the fact that the Greek state should offer medicines, especially to patients with severe and chronic diseases.
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