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Chapter 4 | The impact of the crisis on the health system and health in Greece
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• the establishment by the Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity of two
web-based platforms, one for gathering and assessing monthly data from
NHS hospitals (ESYnet; Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity, 2012a)
and one for monitoring regional health resource allocation and regional
health status (Health Atlas; Ministry of Labour, Social Insurance and
Welfare, 2014); and
• the development of the Price Monitoring Tool for the collection and analysis
of tenders and technical specifications published by hospitals.
In addition, a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Social
Solidarity, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) and the University of
Athens Centre for Health Services Management and Evaluation (CHESME)
has resulted in the implementation (in 2013) of the OECD System of Health
Accounts in Greece, providing for the first time, health economic data
harmonized with the methodology used by Eurostat and the OECD.
In hospitals, a number of specific monitoring and accounting reforms have
been introduced or are under consideration. For example, double-entry
accrual accounting was introduced in all public hospitals in January 2012 and
the cost accounting system was expected to be introduced during 2013. A
uniform coding system was introduced in 2012 along with the establishment
of a common registry for medical supplies for procurement purposes (by the
Co-ordination Committee for Procurement). However, computerization,
integration and consolidation of information technology systems, and
centralization of information has not yet been achieved and hospitals use their
own individual local information systems.
Pharmaceutical sector reforms
The pharmaceutical sector has seen a number of measures aimed at containing
costs and enhancing efficiency.
1. Responsibility for the pricing of medicines has been transferred to the
National Drug Organization (EOF) and all other aspects of pharmaceutical
policy to the Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity. Previously, prices were
set by the General Secretariat of Commerce. 10 This change was designed to
stimulate more efficient decision-making and administration.
2. A positive list for medicines was reintroduced in 2011 (it had been abolished in
2006 on the grounds of enhancing access to medicines). Initially, the positive
list, in and of itself, had little impact since all drugs that were reimbursed at
the time were included in the positive list. Rather, the reintroduction was
motivated by revenue raising as there was a requirement that a special fee be
10 The General Secretariat of Commerce is situated within the Ministry of Development, Competitiveness, Infrastructure,
Transport and Networks.