Monitoring and documenting systemic and health effects of health reforms in Greece (2019)

This report aims to describe and assess the health system reforms implemented since the economic crisis and (where appropriate) present options and recommendations for policy adjustments or redirection. Informed by WHO’s 2007 framework of building blocks for health system strengthening, the report is structured in six sections that each present a crucial domain of the Greek health system that needs, or has undergone, important reforms: (i) coverage, access to health care and financial protection; (ii) health-care provision; (iii) quality and safety of health care (considering health technologies and information systems); (iv) human resources for health (HRH); (v) the role of patients; and (vi) governance. These sections are followed by examination of selected indicators measuring changes in health status in both quantitative data and in-depth studies conducted since the onset of the crisis.

The evidence base for this report comprises official documentation, published literature (grey and peer-reviewed), expert consultation and insights from the field collected in the first half of 2018. The assessment is part of a series of activities outlined in the context of the collaboration between WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Ministry of Health to strengthen the health system in Greece, financially supported by the Structural Reform Support Service of the European Commission.