Financial crisis in Greece: The impact on the health system. The use of generic drugs as a mean of intervention

Financial crisis in Greece has brought many changes in health care, not only in population level but also in financial level. There have been investigated the changes in the Greek citizens’ health level, by the presentation of the changes in values of the healthy life indicator in the last decade. It is presented a significant decline, in contrast with the equivalent indicator in Sweden and the European average where it is presented a rapid rise. In financial level, the adjustment programme which has been applied resulted the recession of Greek economy and the consequent reduction of public funding in health, the support of private expenditure so as the rise of the indicator of the citizens’ unmet needs for health care. The use of generic drugs constitutes a mean of saving health resources. However, its pervasiveness in Greece is presented low, in contrast with the other European countries. It occurs that there have been many changes in the health field of our country the last decade, with consequences in citizens, especially the socioeconomic sensitive groups. The question that is been raised is how the meta- memorandum policies will manage to reverse the current data so as our country will succeed to return to growth rates and development.

Keywords: Financial crisis, healthy life years, health expenditure, unmet needs generic drugs