[Shutterstock]
Greece’s National Health System has reduced surgery and emergency waiting times for the first time ever, officials said Wednesday.
Deputy Health Minister Marios Themistokleous credited the improvement to more staff, additional afternoon surgeries and the use of private clinic facilities.
“There were 50,000 more surgeries performed in 2025… a fact that contributed significantly to the reduced waiting times,” he said.
Themistokleous said reports of “400 closed operating theatres” were misleading, as many hospitals had rooms that had been built but never fully used. He said the system now has more doctors, nurses and support staff than ever, though nursing shortages remain. A platform has been opened so any qualified nurse can be immediately hired.
He also reported progress in emergency healthcare, saying average waiting times have been halved from nine hours to four and a half hours. Electronic patient tracking allows each case to be monitored and lets hospital management intervene when problems arise, he said.
Regarding healthcare staff strikes, Themistokleous noted participation over the past two years did not exceed 1.4%. [AMNA]