Greeks Have Positive View of Their National Health System

by · Greek City Times

A majority of Greek citizens view the National Health System (ESY) positively, with 62.9% expressing a positive or rather positive opinion, while 56.5% believe healthcare services have improved over the past three years, according to a nationwide Opinion Poll survey commissioned by Liberal.

However, the survey also identifies persistent problems with everyday patient care, service delivery and accessibility, as well as differences in the experiences of various social groups.

In a post on X, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis described the findings as “remarkable polling results”, saying the October 2026 survey demonstrated majority recognition of specific improvements to the National Health System while acknowledging that a significant proportion of society continued to express criticism.

According to the findings published by Liberal, approximately seven in ten citizens have used the National Health System.

Read more: Health Minister Rejects Faulty Ambulance Contributed to Mans Death

Specifically, 76% said they had used at least one ESY service during the past 12 months, while 24% said they had not needed or used the system.

Free preventive examinations receive strongest approval

The Health Ministry’s free preventive screening programmes, known as PROLAMVANO, received the strongest public approval, with 88.4% giving them a positive or rather positive assessment of their contribution to improving healthcare services.

Other initiatives also received favourable evaluations, including the digital health record (77.3%), renovations of hospitals and health centres (72.7%), and afternoon surgical operations (60.3%).

However, the electronic wristband system, introduced to reduce waiting times in hospital emergency departments, received a lower positive rating of 54.7%. Meanwhile, 34.3% expressed negative views, highlighting continuing challenges with everyday patient services and accessibility.

Digital healthcare services receive widespread approval

A large majority also recognised the benefits of digital healthcare services, including electronic prescriptions, the MyHealth platform and online medical appointments.

Asked how useful these services were in facilitating access to the National Health System, 47.3% described them as “very” useful and 33.4% as “quite” useful.

Combined, 80.7% gave a positive assessment of their contribution. Another 13.8% considered them “slightly” useful, while 4.8% said they were “not at all” useful.

The survey also identified geographical differences in public responses. Although citizens across Greece’s regions generally viewed digital healthcare services favourably, the level of approval varied.

These differences may reflect varying healthcare needs, age demographics and patterns of service use.

Gender did not emerge as a significant dividing factor, with men and women broadly agreeing that digital tools make accessing the National Health System easier.

Age and occupation influence digital access

Age differences were more pronounced.

Among people aged 17-29, approximately 90.6% considered digital healthcare services either very or quite useful. Among those aged 65 and over, the corresponding figure stood at approximately 72.6%.

The findings suggest that although citizens across all age groups generally welcome digital healthcare initiatives, ensuring universal access also requires accessible alternatives for people who struggle with electronic applications.

The survey also recorded strong approval among salaried employees, professionals and business owners, while responses varied among farmers, pensioners and other occupational groups.

The findings highlight the importance of maintaining effective assistance for citizens who have less experience with digital technology alongside the modernisation of healthcare services.

56.5% report improvements in hospital services over three years

Despite the generally positive assessment, patients’ experiences at hospitals continue to vary across Greece, even as many citizens report improvements over the past three years.

Some regions recorded higher proportions of citizens who noticed improvements compared with previous hospital visits, while others reported greater levels of stagnation or deterioration.

The survey cautioned that regional differences should not be treated as a definitive ranking of healthcare performance, as sample sizes outside major urban centres were smaller.

Nationally, 56.5% of respondents said healthcare services had improved over the past three years.

Of these, 16.6% reported significant improvements and 39.9% said services had improved considerably.

Meanwhile, 23.6% believed the situation had remained unchanged, while 17.9% reported either slight or substantial deterioration. A further 2% did not express an opinion.

(Source: AMNA)

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