Impacts of the economic crisis on access to healthcare services in Greece with a focus on the vulnerable groups of the population1

PDF
Published: Apr 13, 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/scad.8880
Keywords:
Economic crisis vulnerable groups access to healthcare services
Charalampos Economou
Panteion University
Daphne Kaitelidou
National and Kapodostrian University of Athens
Dimitris Katsikas
National and Kapodostrian University of Athens
Olga Siskou
National and Kapodostrian University of Athens
Maria Zafiropoulou
European Commission
Abstract
In 2010, the Greek economy entered a deep, structural and multi-faceted crisis, the main futures of which are a large fiscal deficit and huge public debt. The negative effects can also be observed at the societal level, as all social indicators have deteriorated. The present paper discusses the impact of economic crisis on access to healthcare services especially for the vulnerable groups. Uninsured, unemployed, older people, migrants, children and those suffering from chronic disease and mental disorders are among the groups most affected by the crisis in Greece. High costs, low proximity and long waiting lists are among the main barriers in accessing health care services.
Article Details
  • Section
  • Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Author Biographies
Charalampos Economou, Panteion University

Charalampos Economou is Associate Professor in Sociology of Health and Health Policy at
the Department of Sociology, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens. His
teaching and research activities and publications concern social policy, supranational social
policies, European social policy, social exclusion, health policy, and sociology of health. He
has participated in many international and national projects and he has collaborated with
international organizations (OECD, WHO) and research centres (European Observatory on Health
Care Systems, LSE Centre for Civil Society). 

Daphne Kaitelidou, National and Kapodostrian University of Athens

Daphne Kaitelidou is currently an Assistant Professor at the Public Health Division, School of
Health Sciences, Department of Nursing in University of Athens, on the field of Health Services
Management and Director of Center for Health Services Management and Evaluation, University
of Athens. Her research interests are in the fields of Health Services Management and Health
Policy, she has participated in many international and national projects on these areas and have
published more than 60 articles in peer reviewed international and national journals. 

Dimitris Katsikas, National and Kapodostrian University of Athens

Dimitris Katsikas is Lecturer of International and European Political Economy, at the Department
of Political Science and Public Policy, University of Athens and Head of the Crisis Observatory
at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). His research focuses on
international and European political economy and economic governance. In recent years, he
has participated as coordinator and/or researcher in a number of Greek and European research
programmes examining the European and Greek crises. 

Olga Siskou, National and Kapodostrian University of Athens

Olga Siskou RN, MSc, PhD is a Senior Researcher, in the Center for Health Services Management
and Evaluation in the Faculty of Nursing at the National and Kapodostrian University of Athens
(full time staff) since 12/2001. From 2008, she is Deputy National Representative to OECD Health
Committee. 

Maria Zafiropoulou, European Commission

Maria Zafiropoulou was awarded a Phd in Healthcare policies and Management by the Public
School of Health in France - in which she has been a fellow as well - and has studied Health law
and Political Sciences in France. She works as an expert in the European Commission and is a
scientific member of different faculties such as the Hellenic Open University, the Open University
of Cyprus, Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Institut of Administration of Entreprises in France.
Her research interests relate to hospital evaluation, crisis’ impacts and European healthcare and
social policies.

Most read articles by the same author(s)