Panhellenic Medical Association survey: Citizens are dissatisfied with the health system

2024-04-24 15:23:53

Growing dissatisfaction of citizens and the medical community with the health system is reflected in a large survey conducted on behalf of the Panhellenic Medical Association (PIS) by the polling company GPO.

Compared to the findings of a related survey last year, the rates of dissatisfaction have significantly increased, while citizens’ satisfaction with the NHS doctors remains stable, exceeding 90%. However, citizens have a negative image of the organization of health facilities and more than half are not satisfied with the services provided in the public health system.

The survey was conducted last month on 1,108 men and women over 17 years of age who live in all the geographical regions of the country, as well as on 720 doctors of various specialties who are active nationwide.

In particular, 45.1% of respondents from the general public are not satisfied with health services neither in the public nor in the private health system (in 2023 the corresponding percentage was 31.2%). 28.7% of citizens say they are satisfied. At the same time, 48.3% of doctors negatively evaluate the health system in our country (public and private), while the corresponding percentage in 2023 was 22.9%. 17.4% evaluate it positively.

Of the general public, 56.9% of respondents are not satisfied with the benefits in the public Health system, compared to 34.7% last year. 91.1% are satisfied with the doctors of the public health system, while 75.4% are dissatisfied with the organization in the Health structures. 65.2% choose to visit private practices and not hospitals.

Changes in health legislation are viewed positively by doctors, 27.7% this year, compared to 37.7% last year. On the other hand, 50.4% are treated negatively this year, compared to 34.9% last year.

Regarding issues of the public health system, 78.5% of the public and 90% of doctors are in favor of maintaining their public character and not turning hospitals into public health centers.

In favor of raising the salaries of NHS doctors to the levels of the average salaries received by doctors in the EU. 82.8% of citizens and 91.6% of doctors are in favor. 97.3% of citizens and 96.4% of doctors are in favor of establishing incentives for the staffing of barren and island regions. 44.6% of the citizens are in favor of maintaining a private practice for ESY doctors.

Dimitris Varnavas, general secretary of PIS, commented that the public health system is developing into a “big patient”, as it seems to be becoming “repulsive” for young people and “exhausting” for existing staff who are reaching “the limits of work burnout”. He even announced that PIS is preparing an appeal to the European institutions for the circumvention of working time.

“Staffing, salary increase and incentives”, these are the three measures that must be taken at the same time as Mr. Varnavas said to fix the health system.

Satisfaction in the field of prevention
As far as prevention is concerned, this is the sector that shows increased rates of citizen satisfaction.

Registration with the personal physician shows an increasing trend. 73.5% of citizens have registered with a personal doctor and 9.8% of the unregistered intend to do so. The highest percentages appear in the over 55 age group.

55% say they are satisfied with the institution, while only 14.1% say they are dissatisfied.

43.1% received an sms for mammography and did it and 26% received an sms but did not use it, the main reason being negligence.

“For the first time, we have a positive response to the personal doctor and we can expect the establishment of Primary Health Care in a period of problems accumulated over decades, which require increased funding”, commented the president of PIS, Dr. Athanasios Hexadaktylos.

He placed particular emphasis on the finding of breast cancer screening, appealing to all women receiving SMS for mammography not to neglect it. “For every 8 mammograms that are not done there is one undiagnosed breast cancer,” he said.

With information from APE