Last month, the OSAC Patient Rights Observatory received a total of 46 complaints, most of which concerned inconvenience, delays, shortages, or inadequate service provision. 

Speaking on the program “Alpha News,” OSAK Spokesperson Dimitris Lambrianidis stated that, typically, more than half of the complaints involve people over the age of fifty, which, according to him, is to be expected given that they face more health problems and visit healthcare services more frequently.

Mr. Lambrianidis is sounding the alarm for seniors who need additional services, whether rehabilitation, in-home care, or in-home support; however, as he noted, “we do not see any immediate plans to provide such services and offer these individuals a better quality of life.”

He noted that one of the most serious problems is the fact that patients are forced to travel to other cities to receive the services they need because those services cannot be provided in the city where they live due to overcrowding. 

One example is a complaint from a patient who is forced to travel to another city three times a week for dialysis, because the relevant services in his city of residence cannot meet his needs due to overcrowding.

He also noted that there have been numerous complaints about delays in diagnosing health problems, which cause them to worsen and result in patients facing much more serious issues.

“Early diagnosis— I want to emphasize that it has been a key component of our healthcare system, and the role of the primary care physician is crucial in ensuring timely diagnosis and reducing serious health problems, whichever can be prevented.”

Among the problems is the shortage of certain medications, which is sometimes due to pharmaceutical companies. 

Mr. Lambrianidis spoke of a lack of proper information, stating that it is extremely important for the healthcare system to provide patients with easily accessible information. 

“All those responsible must respond more quickly. We need faster reflexes. In a healthcare system that is well-funded—one with ample financial resources—it is unacceptable to encounter such problems and for patients to suffer in this way.”