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Athens, February 13, 2024.– With the participation of representatives of the State and the Official Opposition, institutional bodies and high-ranking executives of the Health sector, the cutting of the New Year’s cake of the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SfEE) took place on Monday, February 12, 2024, at a central hotel in Athens.

The President of the Board of Directors of SfEE, Mr. Olympios Papadimitriou in his speech noted that “Unfortunately, the effects of the crisis continue after our exit from the memorandums. The system has been underfunded over time and this has created a huge gap that has translated into huge burdens on the pharmaceutical industry, but also into a significant increase in patient copayment.»
Continuing his address, SfEE President stated that “The need for substantial, but also bold interventions in the financing of public expenditure and pharmaceutical policy is more urgent than ever, and this need was immediately understood by Mr. Adonis Georgiadis and we must acknowledge his immediate and substantial interventions in his short time as Minister of Health, at personal cost to him. We expect to see the results of the measures and we will have to take stock in the second half of 2024, see what worked and what did not and agree on a plan to maintain or extend the measures, always in combination with a gradual strengthening of public funding for medicine.”
Concluding his speech, Mr. Papadimitriou stressed: “All of us who work in the pharmaceutical industry work tirelessly and with a vision for a healthier and more resilient Greece. We will not rest until every day becomes a better day.»

In his address, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, Minister of Health stated: “The National Health System needs reforms. Anyone who does not see it suffers only from ideological blindness, from no other reason. You cannot fail to see that the system is stuck and now needs serious reforms to move forward and provide our fellow citizens with the level of health they need. But on the other hand, we must also explain to the Greek people with courage that there is no National Health System without problems. We cannot perform miracles. I am not a miracle worker, I am just a minister. However, I intend to take a series of balanced measures that will show that the State neither discriminates between SfEE members nor wants to favour one over the other. What it wants is to combine the real possibilities of financing the medicine that the Greek economy can afford. Our only purpose is in the limited resources at our disposal to make the fairest and most efficient distribution. And that’s why we’re working with my partners day and night.”
Continuing his speech, he stressed: “Each of us must understand the responsibility we have towards first of all the Greek people, to whom we must ensure good and quality medicine every day when they need it, but also the innovative treatments that can save their lives when none of the other previous drugs work to save their lives. Both are our responsibility. The first, we will do by enhancing the penetration of generic drugs. The second, with cost savings so that we can finance the arrival of new medicines. And you will see that everything will slowly fall into place and we will find the edge.”

The President of the Greek Patients Association Mrs. Vaso-Rafaela Vakouftsi in her speech stressed: “Innovation brings with it multiple and huge benefits for both patients and society as a whole, because better health translates into prosperity for citizens and consequently into savings in the System.”

The cake was cut along with the Board of Directors of the Association by the Minister of Health, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, together with the Alternate Minister of Health, Mrs. Irene Agapidaki and the Deputy Minister of Health, Mr. Marios Themistocleous.