Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met today at Maximos Mansion with the World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge.
During the meeting, they highlighted the usefulness of the new Quality-for-All digital platform, which was presented today and is the result of close cooperation between the government and the WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens.
As noted, this is a tool that allows for the collection, analysis, and utilization of data on the quality of health services, with the aim of improving their efficiency and better meeting the needs of citizens.
There was also a review of the initiatives taken over the last six years to substantially upgrade public health, with an emphasis on improving infrastructure in hospitals and health centers, the adoption of digital solutions such as the myHealth app and online appointment scheduling, the shift towards prevention through the program “Prolamvano” and towards primary care before hospitalization is required, as well as increased care for mental health.
Hans Kluge noted that Greece has made great strides in public health.
The initiatives undertaken by Greece to protect the mental health of children and adolescents, especially with regard to exposure to harmful content on the internet, were also discussed at length.
The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis and the Alternative Minister Irini Agapidaki.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister and Hans Kluge had the following dialogue:
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Welcome. We are meeting in the midst of unprecedented events, which are really causing us a lot of concern. But at least we’re happy to report that we’re making very good progress in terms of our common projects. I’m very interested to also hear your views on how the strategic partnership between the Hellenic government, the Ministry of Health and the WHO is progressing. I’m very proud and happy about all the public health and preventive care programmes that we run in Greece.
I can tell you that we are changing the overall perception of health in Greece and essentially transforming our health policy from a policy that always used to take care of sick people once they got to the hospitals to a policy that is focusing much more on preventive care, on primary care, but also on changing behaviours and focussing on public health.
Every time we speak publicly about all the programmes that we have, there’s always a great enthusiasm. I think we’ve moved from laggards to front runners when it comes to these programmes. I’m personally a big believer, and I’m happy that the team of the Ministry has also fully supported this commitment.
But enough said on my side. Again, thank you so much for being here and always looking forward to working together.
Hans Kluge: Thank you. Thank you so much, Excellency. First and foremost, I understand that tomorrow is a special day for you. We have in advance some special gift from the heart. Absolutely. Not only as a colleague, but as a friend, as you know, as a great friend of your country, which is very close to our heart.
First and foremost, I can only confirm what you have been telling me, Prime Minister. You know that I dare to say in all modesty that Ι know the the Greek health system quite well. We started together with minister Adonis Georgiadis and also with you in 2013, 2014, when I remember that the first primary healthcare law in history was adopted. Actually, you personally, you approved in 2014, the first 1,000 family doctors, the role to be institutionalised. If I look now.. Yes, the most difficult time.
As you mentioned, now the primary healthcare is becoming, generally, a front runner in the WHO European region. Why? Because it becomes multidisciplinary with the adoption, now, of the national rollout of universal preventive programme.
Everyone is speaking about this, but very few countries are actually doing it. What are the two main killers in Greece, like in many countries? Cardiovascular disease and cancer.
I really want to applaud your leadership, the leadership of Minister Adonis Georgiadis and also Alternate Minister Dr. Agapidaki, for this brave move and actually very well socially accepted by the people, because this is what we need in Europe. We need desperately to increase the trust by the people in the health system.
Here you are really leading, including with what you initiated, Minister, you initiated, the mobile health units, so that with the ageing population, which Greece, alike other countries, cannot escape the demography, the health system is going to the home of the people instead of waiting that they come with incurable or too late disease.
