I don’t know about you guys but the health system in Greece just sucks! It is unbelievable!
In the last few days we had a family problem with a close relative of mine who needed a doctors’ assistance. Needless to say, the services were, the least, disappointing.
My relative, who lives outside of Athens, has only public health care coverage and she has ached for many months. She goes in and out of doctors’ exam rooms & hospitals trying to figure out where the ache comes from. Lastly, on Saturday she came to Athens and on Sunday she went to the public hospital with the intension to get admitted and take the necessary steps (exams, surgery if needed etc) to get to the root of the problem.
Unfortunately, she waited for FIVE hours in the waiting room, aching and no-one paid attention to her. No-one called out her name to take her for examination and prepare her for the next step. No-one. And she is 85 years old, aching…
Another example: myself. I have faced a lot of medical problems in the last five years which resulted to a lot of medication, pain, four surgeries and much suffering.
The last problem I faced concerned aches in my insides. I ached for many many years, since I was a little girl and at some point this peaked. Doctors couldn’t find out what it was. I reached the point where I couldn’t eat at all. Again, I told the doctors, entered a private hospital, stayed in for five days to be fed, take a bunch of medication, and do some exams which indicated that PERHAPS a surgery is needed, but: instead of going to surgery at once, they programmed it for 10-days after my check out! Because of doctors’ unavailability! In a private hospital! And I was not being fed! I lost 20 pounds and ached. I checked out, stayed at home for ten days waiting for the doctors’ availability and then did the surgery! The positive is that indeed surgery was needed, and it was a serious one. Add to this story that I paid a lot of money! Un-believable…
A friend of mine felt a lump and doctors in public hospital told her to take a biopsy. The biopsy was taken in July-end and the results were available three days ago. This means that in the public healthcare system, she waited for 45 days to find out if she has cancer! Can you imagine the anxiety?
Is this the case in your country too? Is the system inadequate?
In my country (Italy) is not so better. I live in one of the region (Tuscany) where the public health system works better, but since 2/3 years nothing seems to work ok. Just to know the private system here work very very fast and well, but, sure, the cost are high and so not all can take it. In the public system for some kind of examinations or visits we have to wait weeks or months (just for example to meet a public endocrinologist in my area I have to wait around 9-10 months and the cost is 22 euro while in the private system we can meet the endocrinologist in just one day for around 100-150 euro). For a simple blood tests is not bad because we have to wait just 2-5 days in the public system (and the ticket to pay is max 36 euro). The problem here in the last years is to have just few doctors who want to work for the public system (where doctors earn really less than in the private system, one of the lower salaries in Europe) and so, along the time, the public health system become so slowly and bad.
I think it is very much like Greece. Not many doctors want to work for the public system, because they are poorly paid, while those who work in the islands have to pay very high rent in some cases. Imagine the doctors that have to work in Mykonos or Santorini, which are expensive holiday destinations, and have to pay astronomical amounts on rent on top of poor wages. And that is why doctors don't go there. And so the locals (and tourists) have poor public health there (as well as nearly everywhere in Greece)...
Incredible. And we (Italians and Greek) are in European Union!!!
And I don't know about you but I am a private employee and more than 35% of my salary is held for healthcare and pension each month!!!
I worked as a private employee for many years (around 20) and I can understand you because the same percentage (around 35 % )of my salary was held for healthcare and pension. Now I'm a freelance and, to be honest, it's not better. Now I have to pay different kind of bills and fees, but the total percentage for pension and healthcare is around 40 % and, at the end, my salary is less than before (even if I like this kind of job more than that previous one and I really don't want to come back to it ). No words. :(
I think that regarding work it is far better to do what you like in order to be happy - If you have that chance.
35% or 40% for healthcare and pension, is more or less the same... I think I would make the same choice like you..
The point is not to need the healthcare system. Once you need it, you have to be resilient and try to get the max out of it... like you say. there are no words to describe the situation...