Massive overspending during the period 2005-2009 in the health sector in Greece was reflected in the data recorded by the Health Accounts System, the standard system of classification of health expenditures that was developed by the OECD, the World Health Organisation and Eurostat. According to preliminary data, which is still pending ratification by the Greek Statistics organisation, from the 38.1 billion in GDP growth during the years 2005 to 2009 (from 193 to 231.1 billion), 7.2 billion were due to the increase in total health expenditure! As stated in the Greek newspaper "Kathimerini", of these 7.2 billion, 6.8 billion was a result of the huge rise in public health expenditure.
Most of the waste took place in the public hospital expenses, which soared during the four years under consideration by 79% - from 3.9 to 7 billion. As a percentage of GDP, public hospital expenditure increased between 2005-2009 from 2% to 3%. Moreover, between the 2005-9, the cost of medicine and health supplies for the State climbed by 73%, from 3 billion to 5.2 billion.
As a percentage of total production, public pharmaceutical expenditure jumped from 1.5% to 2.2% of GDP.
In 2005 the public expenses for laboratory tests / services outside the hospitals were 1.6 billion euros. In 2009 it was 2.6 billion euros, up 63%!
The years 2005-2009 were Greece's big party with other people's money. A completely incapable government allowed corruption to rise even higher than in the previous years. Salaries and pensions in the public sector soared uncontrollably, and millions were stealing money from the public funds without any checking since the authorities were (and still are) corrupt in a large extend. Pharmaceutical suppliers were grossly overcharging the state (and of course giving a cut to the civil servants that were taking the decisions), pharmacists had a PROTECTED by the state profit of 30%(!) in every sale. This profit was paid to the pharmacists by the greek social security funds, that is the state, that is the loans to Greece and the citizens' taxes. Pharmacists in order to have even higher profits were sometimes throwing medicines in... wells so that they receive the state's pay without the sales. Others were also keeping the drugs and were selling them under the table! Doctors were also taking part in the robbery by over-prescribing medicines and receiving commissions and other benefits by the pharma companies!
The graphs below show how "sick" greek people are, or to be more accurate the unnecessary overuse and abuse of drugs in the country so that hundreds of thousands of doctors, pharmacists and civil servants could become filthy rich at the expense of the country and the taxpayer.
Most of the waste took place in the public hospital expenses, which soared during the four years under consideration by 79% - from 3.9 to 7 billion. As a percentage of GDP, public hospital expenditure increased between 2005-2009 from 2% to 3%. Moreover, between the 2005-9, the cost of medicine and health supplies for the State climbed by 73%, from 3 billion to 5.2 billion.
As a percentage of total production, public pharmaceutical expenditure jumped from 1.5% to 2.2% of GDP.
In 2005 the public expenses for laboratory tests / services outside the hospitals were 1.6 billion euros. In 2009 it was 2.6 billion euros, up 63%!
The years 2005-2009 were Greece's big party with other people's money. A completely incapable government allowed corruption to rise even higher than in the previous years. Salaries and pensions in the public sector soared uncontrollably, and millions were stealing money from the public funds without any checking since the authorities were (and still are) corrupt in a large extend. Pharmaceutical suppliers were grossly overcharging the state (and of course giving a cut to the civil servants that were taking the decisions), pharmacists had a PROTECTED by the state profit of 30%(!) in every sale. This profit was paid to the pharmacists by the greek social security funds, that is the state, that is the loans to Greece and the citizens' taxes. Pharmacists in order to have even higher profits were sometimes throwing medicines in... wells so that they receive the state's pay without the sales. Others were also keeping the drugs and were selling them under the table! Doctors were also taking part in the robbery by over-prescribing medicines and receiving commissions and other benefits by the pharma companies!
The graphs below show how "sick" greek people are, or to be more accurate the unnecessary overuse and abuse of drugs in the country so that hundreds of thousands of doctors, pharmacists and civil servants could become filthy rich at the expense of the country and the taxpayer.
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