Opening access to healthcare for all
The NHS is under-financed after the economic crisis, while citizens are not able to cover the cost of care privately, making access to health services difficult for the entire population and especially for the most vulnerable groups, that do not have the financial capacity to pay for medicines and to do relatively quick tests at a private diagnostic centres, being obliged to address only specific public hospitals; in this case the delay for a simple test may range from 3 to 6 months, with severe consequences for the patient’s health.
The aim of the project is to advocate for the access of all citizens, particularly the most vulnerable (i.e. elderly, refugee, unemployed, chronic and psychiatric patients) to quality free health services and appropriate medication, to positively influence the shaping of health and drug access policies by tabling rational proposals and effectively raising the rights of vulnerable groups to health by giving them a step-up and engaging them in investigative journalism.
Project actions include:
1) Collection of patient testimonies on the difficulty of accessing medical and diagnostic tests and conducting research
2) Study of the legal framework and qualitative research for donations of drugs – social pharmacies in Greece and abroad
3) Proposal to rationalize national policy based on evidence processing, study, research
4) Research journalism – Supervision of the current health-medicine system
5) Advocacy with an informative campaign, for the benefit of vulnerable citizens, strengthening their voice – disseminating to the media
MdM Greece, as the most prominent partner organization and project coordinator, will provide project management and administrative support and will participate in Actions 1, 3, 4 and 5 mentioned above. GIVMED will participate in Actions 2, 3, 4 and 5 and TPP in Actions 2, 4 and 5.
