Deputy Minister of Health Irini Agapidakis highlighted the need to transition to a new model of primary care, speaking at the 5th Public Health Conference on the theme “Contemporary Challenges and Prospects in Public Health,” organized by the National Public Health Organization (EODY).
“The primary care model that expected patients to come to health centers has now run its course. And this is not only happening in our country, but throughout Europe. We need to find new approaches, remember the fundamental values of public health, and develop modern models of care that meet today’s needs,” she emphasized.
Ms. Agapidakis presented the ministry’s strategic plan to strengthen home care and telemedicine, noting that the merger of the Mobile Health Teams (KOMY), the mobile units of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and the Telemedicine Network is currently underway, with the goal of creating a joint operations center at Attikon Hospital.
“This will enable us to provide home-based medical care and home-based hospitalization,” she noted, adding that a pilot program has been launched in the 1st Health Region to provide oncology care and chemotherapy at home.
The Deputy Minister emphasized that telemedicine is already a key tool in public health, enabling even specialized medical interventions to be performed remotely.
“The primary care model that required patients to come to health centers has now run its course,” he emphasized, noting that the new reality requires an “outside-the-box” approach and the strengthening of community-based services.
At the same time, he referred to the pivotal role of the National Public Health Organization (EODY) and the need to invest in its human resources, while underscoring the importance of digitizing the healthcare system, which, he said, will serve as a valuable foundation for designing future policies.
He placed particular emphasis on the challenges arising from the climate crisis and the rise in chronic diseases, noting the increased burden on health care systems and rising demand for hospital care.
