A recent study by the London School of Economics (LSE) has called for urgent action to address Greece’s rising diabetes rates, highlighting critical gaps in healthcare infrastructure, policy alignment, and data collection.
Diabetes prevalence in Greece is rising, currently reported at 12%, though the exact number remains unclear due to limited data. The condition is contributing to an increasing number of deaths, though these figures are only based on deaths where diabetes is explicitly mentioned on death certificates, leaving a significant gap in the true impact of the disease.
The study underscores the growing economic burden of diabetes, driven by the escalating costs of new treatments and indirect costs like lost productivity. However, a lack of comprehensive data makes it difficult to fully assess these financial impacts. LSE Professor Panos Kanavos called for immediate action, stressing that preventive and integrated care strategies are key to curbing the disease’s spread.
Greece’s healthcare system is struggling to cope with the diabetes crisis due to insufficient primary care resources, fragmented care coordination, and weak policy alignment. Notably, Greece’s National Public Health Action Plan (2021-2025) fails to include a specific focus on diabetes, and there is no structured National Diabetes Plan to guide policy.
Further complicating the issue, Greece lacks a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) framework for evaluating medical devices and digital health tools, leading to inefficiencies and higher costs for patients. Adherence to clinical guidelines remains low, with only 53.5% compliance to treatment algorithms and 43.6% adherence to monitoring protocols.
Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis acknowledged the growing costs, pointing to the shift from traditional glucose measuring strips to more expensive technologies as a primary example. While these newer tools offer more reliable measurements, their price tag has significantly increased the financial burden on the healthcare system.
The LSE study, commissioned by the Diabetes Platform of the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE), advocates for the creation of a National Diabetes Strategy to address these challenges. This comprehensive plan would integrate primary healthcare, hospitals, registries, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers to create streamlined, cost-effective solutions.
Christos Daramilas, President of the Hellenic Federation of Associations of People with Diabetes (POSSASDIA), emphasized that such a national action plan is essential for confronting the diabetes crisis. The plan should aim to improve primary care, expand access to specialist care, and create a unified framework for diabetes management.
According to Kanavos, strengthening primary healthcare services and advancing HTA processes are vital to creating a sustainable, integrated approach to diabetes care. This includes addressing the shortage of specialists like endocrinologists and diabetologists and expanding the role of diabetes nurses.
A robust digital health infrastructure is also crucial for improving patient care and monitoring. Greece must focus on improving interoperability between health data systems, enhancing telemedicine capabilities, and establishing a national diabetes registry. The recent launch of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, which allows citizens to access their complete medical history through the MyHealth app, is a step in the right direction.
The Greek Ministry of Health has committed to improving healthcare data collection, which is vital for better decision-making and resource allocation. Olympios Papadimitriou, President of SFEE, stressed the importance of data interoperability and the need to staff diabetes centers adequately, especially in rural areas where the demand for specialized care is highest.
As the study concludes, effective diabetes management in Greece will require coordinated efforts across all sectors of society, with better data, improved healthcare infrastructure, and a clear national strategy to guide the way forward.
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