The Health Care System in Greece since 1970: An Assessment

Assesses the health care system in Greece since 1970 through examination of its output and inputs. Concerning output, the country ranks well with regard to adult life expectancy but relatively low in infant mortality. The increasing number of citizens seeking health care abroad does not portend well for quality of care. On the input side, the total number of hospitals has decreased over time, public hospitals have increased and private facilities decreased. There has also been unused hospital capacity; in rural areas there are shortages of health manpower including physicians, as well as equipment. Cultural factors seem to have adversely affected the supply of nurses nationally. Fakellaki , an informal means of paying health‐care providers, is a distinctive and negative feature.