Tomorrow, the Recovery Fund program for free afternoon surgeries expires and, according to the data, out of the target of 50,000 operations, with priority given to those who had been waiting the longest, only 26,845 were carried out, or 54%. The program had a total budget of €60 million.
Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis said that the goal was not to perform “many” surgeries, but to reduce waiting times on long waiting lists.
“Why were not 50,000 surgeries performed, but more than 26,000? Because many of the people who had been notified had already undergone surgery or no longer needed the operation,” he said, noting that of the approximately 66,000 citizens invited to join the program, a significant number did not show up when their turn came.
Afternoon surgeries will now be paid, according to the official state price list of the National Health System.
He stresses that in 2024 there were 90,000 people on the waiting list for more than four months, while today that number has fallen to 7,000. The total waiting list stands at 25,000 people.
The Health Ministry leadership attributes a significant part of the improvement to the implementation of the Unified Digital Surgery List, through which waiting times in all public hospitals are being recorded in a uniform way for the first time, according to To Vima.
In this way, it argues, inactive cases were cleared, surgeries were scheduled more effectively, and available operating rooms were used more efficiently.
Sources: ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ, Καθημερινή, in.gr
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