I was diagnosed 1year ago with cancer. I live in Crete and was in need of immediate care. I had to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy at a public hospital in Heraclion Crete. I was amazed by the fact that despite the incredible amount of people waiting for chemo, the staff was so well organised and so willing to provide care to everyone. Everything i needed, and still need, prescriptions, doctors notices, i just call them and get the prescription on my phone. I really wish to say that despite the many problems of the health system, the staff works very hard to provide care for the people in need, and they succeed. I wish to thank them for their hard work and kindness.
Έτσι είναι Γαρυφαλιά μου. Και ο πατέρας μου στα Γιάννενα πού κάνει ακριβώς τα ίδια με σένα λέει τα καλύτερα για τους ανθρώπους που εργάζονται σε τόσο "ευαίσθητες" θέσεις. Κάνουν τα πάντα για να κάνουν την εμπειρία σου όσο πιο ανώδυνη γίνεται. Εύχομαι περαστικά και να μην ξαναεμφανιστεί ποτέ όταν ξεμπερδέψεις. Σου στέλνω την αγάπη μου από την όμορφη Σπάρτη.
I am Greek. As a 19 year old I had a motorcycle accident in Crete which messed up my vacation badly and I dislocated my collar bone. I went to the hospital in Heraklion and on the spot they put it back in. wrapped me up and I was on my way. I am 64 now and it has never caused me any problems. I went to the US as a tourist 14 years later and while I was mowing a friend's yard a small rock hit my left eye. They took me to the doctor and I paid 1500$ US for an eye patch and a few eye drops due to lack of US insurance. Enjoy Hellas my friend and thank you for your good words.
You paid a one timer 1500$ for that eye patch (very expensive indeed) but you have paid about 100.000$ for that collarbone throughout your lifetime. You need to understand that the American culture is a culture of investing in the economy and that $100.000K you have paid to the Greek system in a lifetime and the Greek system allocates (and wastes - because politicians are shit!) would have made you a millionaire in the US in which case that expensive eye patch would have been peanuts for you. It's a matter pf perspective. Not to mention that as a US citizen you'd probably have some form of medical coverage to pay for it.
@@C_R_O_M________ _"...$100.000K you have paid to the Greek system in a lifetime..."_ 1> 10,000,000 people * €100,000 = 1 *TRILLION* €€€ ... *per generation!* _Sure, your math makes sense..._ 2> The amount of € the gov withholds from salaries isn't just for medical care, it's mostly for pensions.
@@C_R_O_M________ americans dont pay taxes? Weird, because americans paymore for taxes, it just goes directly to thepentagon and irs instead of Healthcare 😊
@@Jkjoannaki Dude, I'm Greek and I live in Greece, I have lived in the States for 3+ years. The Americans do pay taxes but AFTER they earn a lot of money. They have no VAT (or ΦΠΑ) which is a carpet tax and affects everyone, mostly the poor (they do have a sales tax but it ranges from 9% to nothing - depending on the State - nothing close to the 24% robbery in Greece) their fuel prices (before the Biden circus) used to be 4 to 5 times lower than those in Europe, now it's only about 2 times cheaper. When your energy cost is that low you are much wealthier as energy affects everything. An American with a $30K to $40K income is considered low income and pays almost nothing to the IRS (depending on the State again - some States don't have income taxes at all!)with California (or Commiefornia) charging the most of all States at . . . 13%!!! Now take that and compare it to the Greek robbery of upwards of 50% if you count in VAT (ΦΠΑ) and the fuel tax that affects every single societal transaction! Not only that but in the States your expenses are deducted from your taxable income. So, Americans pay peanuts in comparison, that's why they are the innovators of the world because they keep the fruits of their labor and invest it to innovation and that's why most billionaires are Americans - kudos to them for they respect private property and don't steal it like the pseudo-capitalist EU (more like cryptosocialist and cryptofascist). The 2nd Amendment plays a huge role in the freedom of Americans. The European citizens are toothless "lions" because they were disarmed and therefore prepped for exploitation. P.S. The chances of you understanding anything I say here are slim to none, nevertheless, some soul may someday read that comment and learn something.
I am not sure if this is true. Private clinics like Diavalkaniko and Saint Lucas in Thessaloniki are super advanced with robotics and can handle anything you have to throw at them 🤷🏻♂🤷🏻♂
@konstantinoskonstantinidis7323 it is true with a pinch of salt. Just let's both accept that I might be making a tad of an over-statement, but more or less, it does happen to refer you to public hospitals when the sh*t hits the fan. I am not going to go into specifics from personal experience, though.
My mother is a foreigner livibg in Greece for 30 years, uninsured until recently ( she now has old age basic pension including free medical cover). 5 years ago she needed life saving surgery which was free and which cost literally thousands of Euros. She received the best care at St Andrew s Hospital in Patras from all staff. She kept developing hernias and had a further 4 operations. I do not believe she would have received better care anywhere else. So in my opinion as a Greek with all problems and general hickups Greece does provide best medical care.
Doctors are usually well qualified (with exceptions that cost lives). Nurses,they may be qualified but i am sorry , comparing to the care you have abroad it's shameful how much they don't care. Here, the relatives are the nurses .they are the ones helping the patient to go to the bathroom,find an extra blanket etc. or the relatives have to hire illegal immigrant ""nurses" with zero or questionable medical experience to stay with the patient night and day. That wouldn't happen if the care provided was enough. Of course being understaffed is not helping, and obviously being understaffed is the politicians fault. i am talking about the general attitude of the majority of nurses
@@C_R_O_M________ wait time less and more thoroughly examined at a Greek hospital with expensive equipment in Greece free, compared to Australia… and Australia is top notch both countries are great for health care best fertility clinics in Greece also 👍
@@Makis01980 That's anecdotal (apart from the fertility clinics which I know it to be true - ironically Greece has a severe demographic problem). In general Greece's healthcare system sucks. It's too expensive (you start paying for it since the very first day on the job - which means that a young person can't shop around for cheaper healthcare insurance as the Greek system takes money for itself anyway - a coercive scheme), wasteful, pays its doctors peanuts, hospitals are poorly maintained, everything about them smells corruption, from the guards at the entrances to the indifferent nurses and rude doctors. I've been around them too much to have a better opinion. Having said that, there are always exceptions to the rule. Just remember: nothing is free and when the State allocates capital it's a sure thing that money is wasted. Just not their own, ours!
@@C_R_O_M________ I was waiting for such a comment … this is the exact kind of thinking that’s holding Greece back … do you think there is no corruption everywhere ? You should see how IVF doctors treat patients in Australia $$$$$ you should see how back surgeons treat patients in Australia $$$$ my friend got his back operated on 3 times and his surgeon asked him how’s your hand ? I had a skii injury at Thredbo Australia on holidays and the doctor sent me to his mate back in Sydney for a $10,000 operation … well my knee healed on its own …: look at what Australia did to its citizens during Covid … Is that not a direct violation of human rights ? Is that not corrupt ? The only difference is corruption is seen in Greece because you all talk to each other you are vocal … which is a good thing … in other countries medical injuries are a common killer and no one speaks up…. Legal drugs are the second biggest killer in the US, who is prescribing these ? ‘Legal drug dealers’ …. Doctors… isn’t that corrupt ? In the US they will not let you into a hospital without insurance … isn’t that corrupt ? That’s against Ιπποκράτης oath. No country is perfect … this what I’m trying to say, you in Greece don’t have it as bad as you think … …..where were you last night ? Do you know what a lot of my friends in Australia did last night, take their antidepressant and sleep at 9pm … life in Australia… one of the highest countries on antidepressants… why are all these so called wealthy and better off people depressed???? Deep seated corruption in the medical and social model of the country … no one should be depressed in Australia full of sun and the outdoors and mostly sporty people and an abundance of jobs right ?? Do Greeks really think they would be happier in Australia for example ? Anecdotal? Yes Widely traveled for over 10 years ? Yes Had 20 years unfortunately of medical model experience? Yes Had 20 years experience in the Education model? Yes Educated? Yes Friends from all over the world? Yes Have I lived in different countries? Yes I guess I hold pretty strong anecdotal experience.
@@C_R_O_M________ average compared to what? Most public doctors in Europe are as good as writing prescriptions... I am sure you don't know what you are talking about
As an ex -employee of a private hospital in Greece and a biomedical science, I assure you, public hospitals are the real shit. It's where real science goes on. Private hospitals have excellent doctors, but have a rather scheduled and peaceful practice; people don't go to private hospitals for emergencies, it's always one surgery they want to do or a special therapy. The doctors of the front line who manage all the difficult stuff as they progress, are the ones in public hospitals. And they are university hospitals too, that are also public and are also top scientists, because they are also into research. So in an emergency, always trust the public hospital here in Greece.
I used to think the greek healthcare system is bad. But then I moved to the Netherlands... The land of "try some paracetamol and don't call again before theee days of extreme misery have passed".
They have nationalized healthcare system as well and treat people like "takers" not "contributors". Especially after a certain age. Try Denmark, same shit!
@@C_R_O_M________ Not sure what you mean by "nationalized" because GP practices, health insurers and hospitals are private in the NL, but it is shit for sure.
@@C_R_O_M________ Well that's the norm in Europe thank god. Access to healthcare is a human right, not a good to be traded by market rules. In fact healthcare problems in the Netherlands are exactly because the state tries to enforce market rules, i.e. cost cutting policies.
@@manost3239 So you think (about the reasons you don't like the Dutch system - I guarantee you, you don't know what you are talking about, look at dentistry in Greece which is the closest you can get to a market-based healthcare service, at least for Greece. It's the cheapest and of the best quality, almost worldwide and if it wasn't for the State taxes it'll be even cheaper)! What else is a human "right" food and shelter? You sound like a communist.
When i was pregnant i asked my doctor which private hospital was the best for labor. He laughed at me and told me that if there is an emergency, they will send me to public hospital. Doctors in greek public hospitals are really amazing.
Due to my health anxiety, I've been to almost all public hospitals in Athens the previous months. The buildings might be old, but they have the modern equipment and the medical stuff WILL take care of you. I personally have weekly sessions with a psychologist in a primary health clinic which helps a lot. In general, compared to the US, I'm grateful we have public healthcare. Otherwise, I'd be in hundreds of thousands of euros in debt.
As a background, I moved from Greece to the United States at age 19 to attend college and medical school. I appreciate your coolheaded assessment of the Greek healthcare system. The medical and nursing staff in both public and private hospitals are well-trained and all speak English. I agree that the public hospitals suffer from poor amenities. I’m sorry that you experienced hostility from some locals. Most Greeks are hospitable. Public hospitals serve not only Greeks but also foreign citizens, tourism is one of the biggest industries in Greece. I am delighted that you have adapted well to Athens, not an easy city, more like a diamond in the rough
Public hospitals here are the best. Greek doctors and Greek nurses are well trained and save lives. My dad had an embolism and was saved by a internship doctor in Evangelismos.
Hello I am a Cretan /Dutch thank you for the nice videos. A friend of mine went to a private hospital here in Crete Greece for a serious operation he would pay thousands of euros but finally he ended up in a public hospital doing the operation because they had better equipment
You guys generalize because of your intrinsic bias for socialized medicine which in reality is far more expensive and far less effective than private medicine when the private sector is let to operate. In Greece this is evident with dentists. It's basically the private sector giving you great services with great prices and no taxpayer money is wasted on them.
Greetings from Spain! I'm a Canadian expat who cannot imagine moving back to North America. I love life in Southern Europe: Everything from health care to infrastructure to weather to public transit is better than Canada. North America is for those who want to make lots of money. Other than that, Europe is much better than both Canada and US in many ways. I wish you all the best in your new life in Greece!
I live in Athens for 20 years. It's true that there are problems in the system but let's be honest what small Balkan country doesn't have them? But the doctors are very well trained and do know what they are doing. I use the national hospitals and not the private ones only because I know that if it's very serious they will send me to the public hospital. The food in the hospitals also is very very good. Very nutritional and very yummy. And also I never had to pay a cent for the treatments,my surgery even for the after surgery painkillers. All of that was talked care by my national medical insurance,that is paid by my employers. The most expensive thing that I paid in the hospital was the 2 euro coffee at the hospitals cafeteria. And this is one of the many reasons that I still live here. The people are awesome and food is delicious. I have a small salary but a great life
It was the healthcare personnel that did an excellent job and helped you. Our healthcare system faces myriads of problems and is kept alive by the labor of its professionals. In places where they exist of course. There are places on islands and in rural Greece where a health emergency is almost a death sentence.
There are places everywhere in the world where "a health emergency is almost a death sentence." Healthcare systems everywhere "face myriads of problems." In the US for example, the paragon of expert cutting edge medical care, literally millions of Americans have no access to healthcare. In Canada you can wait years for hip surgery for example, and you've got to get to a local clinic - because there are no doctors' offices per se - at the crack of dawn to get in line to see a doctor hours later, or spend the rest of the day at an emergency room waiting to be seen. The Greek healthcare system could be better, of course. But it's unfair to expect perfection. Let's stop constantly disparagingly comparing it to other medical systems. It is dependable and the quality of the medical care is very high. The other much vaunted medical systems are nowhere near as good as many here in Greece may think.
Exactly, it’s not just 5 minutes and out you go. I went to a doctor in Greece and he had his patients in for 20 and 40 minutes. A doctor who tried to educate his patients how to have better health. The doctors here in the States are most of them employees and can be fired if they don’t follow directions. Or, the pharmaceutical companies would go after them if they tried anything other drug pushing.
εχω βηματοδοτη μπηκα στον ευαγγελισμο για ελεγχο μου ειπαν πως πρεπει να αντικατασταθει η μπαταρια του με κρατησαν μεσα σε μια ωρα μπηκα χειρουργειο και εφυγα το απογευμα η εξυπηρετηση ηταν αψογη οι γιατροι και το προσωπικο ευγενεστατοι τους ευχαρηστω
An average doctor in the public health sector in Greece will see close ~80 K patients in his career. This sometimes makes things slow but the amount of experience these doctors have is enormous. My newborn child as premature needed surgery on his eyes(Cornea) so as not to lose sight. The surgery was arranged in 2 hours, and the job was immaculate, now he is two years old with no problems. Surgery, hospital accommodation and after-surgery visits were completely free and doctors and nurses were exceptional. It might not be luxurious but they have results and that's all i care.
You mention that if you want better treatment you can go to private hospitals etc... The truth is that if you actually want the best treatment and don't mind the old soviet, as you said 😄, feeling, you go to public hospitals. These doctors have such a huge experience with the amount of patients they treat daily, they are heros!! It's not uncommon for a private hospital to seek help from the doctors of a public hospital if a case is difficult.
Hi. I live in France. I had to spend 15 days with one of my children at a public hospital (for children only) in Greece. The building itself did not look as great as French public hospitals. But doctors and nurses were amazing. Back to France French doctors said they would not have done things differently (French public hospitals are also free). Everything was free in this Greek hospital (as a French citizen I have a european health card, and so do my children, they asked it to me in this Greek hospital and they said I wouldn't have to pay anything, just like Greek citizens). The food they gave to the child was ok, maybe not the best (almost always the same) but it was ok, I just had to buy some drinks in a shop in the courtyard (and I ordered some food for myself with an app, and sometimes for the child, there is a very good Greek app for deliveries but it's better to have a Greek phone number if you want to be called when they come to deliver the food). But nurses told me that the situation in public hospitals for adults was not as good because of low wages. Doctors go abroad or to the private sector because wages are higher there so she told me it was difficult for public sector to hire the best doctors and that there are some true problems in public hospitals for adults in Greece.
The Greek hospitals do the best they can despite the low wages.And that's all there is to it.People should be thankful cause with out insurance you can't be seen other places.
Interesting. I Have had a similar experience in Greece compared to Australia too. The doctors appear to be on a different level of competence. Good for you.
Hallo,we are happy to share our country with you and wish you a wonderful stay.I am from Thessaloniki. When i had a baby i did some tests to make sure the baby will be allright and i had the baby in a private clinic.But the doctor said that if the baby had some health issues, i would have to give birth in the public hospital,where they have the right equipment for th newborn.I also had some minor operetions in the public hospital and i must say that doctors and nurses were extremely polite and helpful.
in Greece everything is free and for the uninsured and medicines are cheap, if you want to go to a private doctor you pay at most 30-100 euros. if you want expensive hospitals of course these are for the rich 💙
In Greece, the hospital buildings might be shitty, the equipment might be old, organization can be non-existent, but the Actual doctors and nurses (most of them) are amazing professionals and people that give their all to help others. As a Greek I try to not take for granted the fact that everyone and I mean everyone, will be offered treatment if they go to a hospital with an emergency and not have to worry about anything that comes after. A lot of things can be said to be wrong here, but this is not one of them...
No they are not (amazing professionals - most aren't) and stop proclaiming they are. BTW, all Americans get treatment (mandatory) if they turn up to the ER. Just because you don't know it doesn't mean it's not true.
In Greece we have great doctors, nurses and medical staff in our public healthcare system, although most buildings look disappointing. Now, you may get treated free of charge BUT it doesn't come for free at all because Greek citizens we are being heavily taxed on our salary every month in order for the healthcare system to function. Great video overall, nice to see you visiting my hometown Piraeus.
My tweens were born earlier than they should. Although i had them in a private clinic they had to go to a national hospital Which were more equipped. I am Greek and i can tell you that national hospitals are really excellent and the only think we have to do is just give some of our salary every month ft or our health insurance.
My wife was diagnosed with a very serious case of cancer, 4 years ago. Even if we selected a private practitioner oncologist, the State covers 100% of the cost of chemotherapy and radiation treatments and actually, after an additional serious metastasis she managed to fight the Monster. The entire cost of her treatments for all these years did not exceed $2500, including the compensation of the private practitioner. In general, I trust Public Hospitals much more than the private ones, if you can be a bit patient with the lack of luxurious hotel accommodations.
Doctors/nurses trained in Greek hospitals and universities are top level. The issue is that they are short stuffed, the infrastructure (e.g hospitals) is not good and there are times that they lack of medicines, consumables and tools (e.g MRI machines, in some cases X-ray machines, CT scanners, etc..). I have to say in general, these people are incredibly good scientists and the fact that they do what they do under these circumstances, it really displays what human minds can do. I am happy that you do better! Cheers!
congrats on your choice to live here and have a family! i've spent almost a decade in the US (midwest, east coast, then south), and i personally think that the Greek health-care system is much better than the US one, even if you have full insurance there as well. And frankly, i think on average, greek doctors are better than their american colleagues...
The main problems of the Greek Hospitals are that they are understaffed & the accommodation (because of the age of cost & the age of the buildings). Apart from that Doctors, Nurses etc, are extremely well trained, educated & experienced!
It just hit me that I have actually been to a Greek hospital when I was run over by a motorcycle as a 16 year old in Crete. I remember the nurse said I could be her daughter.
People abuse the system all over the world. But unlike the USA healthcare should be free to all who need it or at a low cost as you pay your tax and that funds it.
Taxes don't fund it. The Government provides the foundation allowing healthcare providers to charge the employer and healthcare coverage for every employee is required. (In Germany that is.) The employer then splits the cost being responsible for 50% for each employee, while the employee has to pick up the remaining charges. The US healthcare system will not turn down people admitted to the emergency room if they don't have health insurance. We do, however, wreck people financially with exorbitant medical charges after they recovered. This has pros and cons. US healthcare providers being in competition with each other strive to provide the best coverage possible. More Government oversight would be good and bad. The cost for medical services would drop, but so would the overall quality of the service provided. -- In the world we live in, I don't think medical providers, even if funded through employee paychecks, can make enough money to run the operation, let it be a hospital, or a private clinic.
In Greece everybody has access to free healthcare, unemployments, refugee's, gypsies, tourists..In Greece we admire more healthcare system of Scandinavian countries and their social healthcare system.
"Yes, we have a very good healthcare system, but it still needs improvements. Our doctors are excellent, both in their profession and as individuals, and the nursing staff works tirelessly and makes a great effort."
The previous year my girlfriend suffered a stroke by a lump in the head, she was about to die, was taken immediately to hospital, the excellent neurosurgeon perfomed microsurgery extracting the lump and cleaning the area in the skull and she now almost like us. She remained in the public hospital for 17 days. For nearly two weeks(!) the nurses didn't care to give her something to defecate (e.g. Duphalac), although I had mentioned it, several times, reaching the point to plead them. They were "telling it to their cat and the cat to its tail" as we say in Greece. The private nurse who was watching her at night told me that they didn't want to mix with the #hit. They only acted when I revolted, started shouting and finally threatened the nurses office that I would call TV reporters for the case. I don't say that is a usual event. I agree that nurses have a large burden in public hospitals, are usually exhausted. The conditions in public hospitals are on purpose being deteriorated to be given to private health.
A few years ago i read somewhere that Greece has a type of tourism that makes a difference from regular touristm ,it's for in vitro fertilization wich we have supposedly the highest success worldwide and many couples come from US and Europe to conceive a child. I know a couple that only had 4 ovaries in deep freeze due to getting in menstruation condition coming sooner and it was their last chance to have their second child and now she gave birth to a realy beautiful daughter. 😊
Greece is one of the countries in European union where even if you don't have insurance and you go to the emergency they'll treat you and you won't pay anything
Thats a true story bro. Buildings and infrastructure may look bad. We have shortage of medicines often and many other issues small or big BUT even though i would never leave USA if i had resident visa because lets face it, USA is 50 years ahead of us in the tech and social freedom sectors and generally the feeling of freedom and equality cant be compared to any country BUT there is a huge problem living there and you wont realize it until its too late. If something happens and you lose your job or have chronic illnesses like crohns disease which i have btw.. the cost is enormous there!! I cant forget talking to a friend living in the states. He had to go to an ER asap after an alergic reaction he suffered and he paid 30000$ for a day!!!! I am all in when it comes to free market and i believe in no interference from the goverment in peoples business but not helping a dying person because it happens the insurance is expired or lost his job or whatever has to be categorized as inhumane!!!! All in all what i want to say is that i may not be stocked living in Greece but the fact that we treat people as fellow human beings gives me hope and belief that things may and will get better. And please ignore those people that treat you like second class human because you are foreigner, most of us are not like this and the only way you can offend someone in a hospital is to try and skip the line without a good reason. We may not have the best healthcare in the world but the fact remains.... we have one even if a little broken and can sleep at night knowing that we wont pay 30k$ for an ER visit and who knows how much more if its a bigger problem. So ...welcome to Greece ! I hope the country to meet your expectations as this was a big decision :) . If you need any guidance or help for Athens or our bureaucratic stuff which are alot and extremely frustrating feel free to drop me a message!😊
Had to smile when I noticed this is my city of Piraeus. Welcome to the neighborhood! All things aside, thank you for your fair view of the system. It’s much beleaguered but as someone who has traveled a lot abroad, including US (mostly Seattle/ SF) I’ve come to appreciate the ease of access to a lot of services , here in Greece. Even many private services are still way cheaper than elsewhere, even if you have to pay out of pocket. Wishing you the best in your time here (… subscribed too, of course 🙂)
This is a very true statement. Also Greeks tend to moan about everything that's public services, taxes, health insurance, but what they miss is that in the rest 99% of the world countries, health service is either a lot worst or 10 times more expensive and not as inclusive.
Hello , Please accept my wishes for your complete recovery ! This is really fortunate situation for you and for all foreigners who visit our country. I used to travel a lot and I am aware of the uncertainty travelling abroad may induce.. Could you please clarify what kind of oeraration and which one was the public Hospital ? The 100 euros bill was paid by you or by your private insurance ? This is useful info for us and our foreigner friends and visitors to forward to them too. Many thanks in advance ! Keep walking my friend and keep on doing this wonderful work !! 😊👋🙏
No better health care in a private hospital just better accomodation !!! Many times private hospitals sent their patiεnτs to public hospitals either because they have the right equipment or greater experience !!
I am Greek and have lived half of my life in the US and his account is 100% accurate. In the US even when i had the best insurance through my job it wasn't as good as in Greece. In the US the doctor sees you for 3 minutes. In Greece for half an hour. Even if you pay for a private doctor in Greece it's around 50 euros which is really not that much even for Greece. It's a lot less than car repairs. It's what you would pay for a meal for two at a restaurant.
It's not all shiny and perfect!😢 But much better than in other countries! Mostly by a great effort overworking doctors and nurses! And of course the greek " φιλότιμο"( philodimo)!!!! Take care of your!! ,🤗
Healthcare in the USA is expensive because of the service provided. The question is do you need top notch latest technology to provide healthcare? Do you need massive campuses with labs etc? It is a race where once you start competing it’s never ending. Greece has good quality education and hospitals and they will never be MIT or Mayo Clinic. And that’s fine. People do their best
American health care is based not on cure but maintenance, so you will always need its services, which means more profits. In Greece it is the opposite. American Universities no longer produce the best doctors as they pay more attention to gender, dei, safe spaces than to proper medicine. There are doctors now in America who insist men can get pregnant and have periods. Pax Americana is finished just like Pax Romana was.
@@LargeManAbroad Blame your governments for the pricing out of patients because they wildly distort the market with the money they dump into the system (Federal Healthcare costs in the US is the highest in the world - and that's per patient, if I recall well) and regulations, distortions of the insurance market, etc. Go pay with cash in an American hospital and negotiate you'll get very different pricing (even 60% discounts) ! Guaranteed!
You are in Piraeus! The church is Saint Constantine at Municipal Theater Square. My home is just 400 meters from where you were vloging 🙂🙂🙂. Have a beautiful stay in our city, my friend.
Hi! Thanks for your good words about the healthcare system. i live just behind the church next to metro station, and was kinda funny watching my home at your video :)
Είμαστε χριστιανοί ορθόδοξοι , πηγαίνουμε τίς Κυριακές , καί τίς μεγάλες γιορτές στήν εκκλησία μας , ώστε οι καμπάνες μας μας είναι πολύ οικείες !!! Πρέπει νά τίς συνηθίσετε αν θέλετε νά μείνετε κοντά μας !! Άλλωστε χτυπούν συνήθως μόνο τίς Κυριακές , τίς πρωινές ώρες !! Συνήθως !!😊
In Greece, clinics like that Hippocrates one, are actually private diagnostic centres. These diagnostic centers are also staffed by doctors who make a first diagnosis of you lab results. Basically, in these clinics you can walk in, get your blood tests or MRI's or Xrays, and the cool part is that if a doctor has prescribed one of those tests "referals" you can pay a very minimum price for the lab tests. Of course you can buy them if you dont have any public health insurance. But they're not actually hospitals, only for lab results. There is a publicly available Hospital-like local Health Centres, in greek they are called "Health Centres"(Kendra Hygeias) or the ones called TOMY's that have a wide range of doctors who can examine patients for free if they have a social security number(basically everyone who pays taxes in Greece has a s.c.#, and children are considered dependant family members that are protected by the parents social security number...)
Hi mate and thanks for your videos. I stumbled upon your video regarding the Greek health care system and ended up watching another 3... I am Australian ex pat and last February i reached a 20 years cycle of living in Greece... Being "half" Greek there are so many things I love and hate about this place... yet i'm still here and even though Australia is in many ways a beautiful country, i have no regrets regarding my decision to take the leap. P.S. Would love to reach out to you but you have no contact info.
Your content is awesome. I’m also from the US and I think that’s about all we have in common, yet I’ve found your videos to be relatable. That surprised me. 😄 Question - Have you ever considered living in Spain? I am right now weighing the two. The big thing is that I like living in run-able cities - like Mexico City and places in Florida come to mind where there are vast stretches of beautiful spaces embedded in cities with tons of amentities. It’s funny because though I’m saying this I have a health condition that prevents me from running - one I hope will change in the very near future. #runnerat❤️ Any feedback you have is greatly appreciated- and even if you aren’t inspired to respond, thanks anyway for all the insight you’ve already provided. Best to you and yours. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
What Greece has in abundance, are lawyers and doctors. They are like 10 times more per capita, than most countries except India! Their level is mostly quite top notch unless you compare them to Cedars- Sinai or that level . We have weasels too but public Healthcare has its limitations, best are some hybrid establishments like Onassio MC!
@@misanthropas that wss correct about the huge doctor and lawyer abundance but since the financial crisis the amount of doctors going abroad is massive. You just can't compete with 7000+ salary per month when you pay your doctors one to two thousand. Of course many still take fakelaki and have their private office but at some point "stay here because it's your country" doesn't cut it. In the future we will have a shortage of doctors in public hospitals and I've read it's already happening
Greeks are the best doctors in the world and the most of them are in abroad because they asked them to work there. They explain u on details what exactly you have and why u have it they give u ur x rays and also give u psychological support all in one booking. Also very clean. I cannot say the same for London I ve never experienced these socking health care conditions before that only if you are die they check u or u need to do a whole nonsense procedure to make a booking on gp or private is so expensive and they finish u in 3 minutes just to do it they don’t even care. Terrible ! Also they don’t explain u ur situation and can be mean if u asked them.
The doctors and nurses in Greece care. You may not get a room, you may end up in the hall, but they wont let you die on them. 3 time cancer survivor here
Greece was a magic place until 1981. It had its problems - mostly on imported luxury products - but ALL THE REST WERE ABUNDANT AND CHEAP... Then, we entered the "Modernization by Globalization"....
@@daddoukos Not a matter of opinion. Prior 1981 the healthcare system was similar to US and in a very bad shape. Usually in order to survive if you had money you could go abroad.
@@ndladis clearly, u live in a parallel world, where FACTS and TRUTH are scarce commodities. I bet in that world people that Metaxas was a dictator, too and Venizelos a hero. Have a nice life
Ι really don't care if the buildings are old. Are there enough ambulances, ambulance personnel,nurses,beds, working medical equipment and doctors? Are they well payed and not overworked?The answer is no to all of that. If the answer was yes we would have a good healthcare system, because most doctors and nurses are qualified.. Now people die .
I agree to the most you say in the video. But ten years ago i broke my foot in Sifnos, a very touristic island. I visited the public health center and the only doctor (a young (as usual) doing his compulsory "countryside" duty to gain experience) told me that there was an x-ray photographic machine in the next room for years but was still wrapped in its packing they had carried it to the place. As we say in Greece "every miracle lasts only three days"
greek here. our healthcare is pretty bad and used to be even worse. doctors would commonly ask for bribes (φακελακια) to do procedures, the hospitals are understaffed and underequiped with great waiting lines and the general quality seems to be pretty awful. every single person in my family pretty much has had an issue with public healthcare here because it is an underfunded public service like any other public service in greece.
someone speaking some truth finally, people can get preferential treatment occasionally, epsecially tourists. Nothing wrong with people getting efficient service, just wish the locals had equal rights.Some can be luncky or unlucky depending on the shift and even if the hospital has certain docotrs or not for a whole 24hour period or even days. Misdiagnosis and especialy ignorance has led people to almost die in nuemrous cases in my town's public hospital. In my case I went undiagnosed for 15 hours of internal bleeding because the local hospital had no radiologist to perform a simple ultra sound. Videos like these can be misleading in a country that demands some descency from the publc healthcare system they pay with their taxes from their ridiculously low salaries. Just my humble opinion.
@@lotusflowers5644 almost die? I had the mother of a friend of mine died from complications from ...hip surgery (operating room infection!!!!) and he then committed suicide because he couldn't bare the sorrow. Two dead on the scoreboard for the "great" Greek healthcare system!
Appreciate what YOU HAVE. the guy is telling you that if you were in the states or canada..and you didnt have any money..they would throw you to die in the streets. in Greece this just doesnt happen. sure you will wait, and the hospitals are old...but the entire planet knows that the best doctors in the world ARE GREEK.
Hey,i am greek living in Athens, the reality is that if you are a tourist or a western expat you may get preferential treatment. I've seen it happen. You can see how it can be frustrating. People who abuse the system are all the illegal immigrants who pay zero taxes including gypsies who have made a fortune off the government benefits and every illegal activity imaginable. This is where the greeks' frustration comes from
@@anonymous-qc3sy I understand, and yes tourist definitely get treated differently in many aspects. Also, being in a relationship with a Balkan girl has given me alot of insight to the whole gypsy thing haha.
It is obvious you have not lived abroad . If you had , you could understand that the Greek health care system is just amazing and FREE . Nobody is left untreated and just the best doctors there is
@@user-sn6dz2ie4k almost nothing is for free in life. The tax payers are paying for it plus many people are forced to use public clinics or die in public hospitals because the public hospitals don't have even simple machines or doctors or need way too long for a procedure or the ambulance takes 5 hours to come or doesn't come at all. Obviously the healthcare cost in the states is a disgrace and a nightmare for anyone, it's inhumane. I am not comparing greek healthcare with that
@@user-sn6dz2ie4kIf someone has recently visited a Greek hospital, the last thing to describe it as, would be "amazing". It is complete indifference from the politicians. Old buildings, low payed and few doctors in analogy with the patients, and great amount of people waiting in the emergency every time. It's an "if he dies he dies" situation.
I am a greek citizen. I am glad that we have a public health system and i strongly support that every country should have one. My mother was a cancer pacient at Ippokrateio, where she died. Because of the persistingly bad Greek health policies, the level of health services have severly deteriorated in Greece. There was difficulty in programming my mom's chemo sessions -keeping the necessary periods between sessions, no profesional help in moving her from our house to the hospital and back, we carrieed her in our arms to the 4th floor at the hospital for her chemo's. We had to wait 3 hours for the chemo to start and we gave to her doctor 300 euros at every chemo session (in an envelope). When she was internated in the hospital, where she died, there was one nurse for more than 30 patients (we changed her diapers, we brought sheets and towels, no hygiene policy in the hospital, etc). Half of her pension was spent on her medicine / drugs. We had to pay for someone to stay with her when we where at work. No counseling for her or for us during her ilness or after she died. And many more things. This was all in 2013. Now its worse. I am glad that foreigners have this image of our health system. It means that we haven't lost our sense of hospitality. I don't know how things are in the US, but for the Greek citizen, our experiences are quite different from what you are discribing. And you say that these services are cheap. For a salary of 2.000 euros/month, a person pays per month (every month for his working life) only for health insurance almost 300 euros. Almost 500 for his pension fund. In Greece, because of the policies during the last 30 years or more, the health services for the greek population are neither cheap nor high leveled. Because of the bad working conditions, nurses and doctors are rude, incencitive, burned out and forcingly (because of the formentioned bad working conditions) unprofesional. Every nurse / doctor that could leave the country, did so. I am just mentioning the basic stuff and although i could say more i will stop here. There must be a reason that people are miggrating to the US and not the other way around.
Sorry to bother you again, but with your, I think you said AIG insurance, do you first have to pay out of pocket and are then reimbursed by AIG? Thanks much.
100 bucks in Greece is like 10% or 15% of someone's monthly salary though, plus if a public service you 've already paid through state insurance and tax. But they can make you charges on top of that. And many other issues. It's great to know the hospital won't charge you and also you can decide when to walk in (in most of Europe you can't really go to the hospital like that). The problem is for non emergencies there is always some charge. It does not matter how much you 've been paying on tax/statutory health insurance.
The primary problem of Public Healthcare in Greece lies on the fact that they lack adequate financing to replace old equipment in time, hire more nurses and give better remedies to the staff, properly maintain and upgrade the infrastructure. Aside from that, healthcare personnel carries heavy expertise and may be considered on the top ranking places in the industry (yes, there are some exceptions like in every work indrustry).
Mate, nothing is free in this world. You may know it, you may not, you may see it, you may not see it around you. But for the treatment you got someone else paid... That's not bad in any way and you were fortunate you had proper and good treatment. Have a good start in your new life, wish you luck!
Great hearing your story dear friend...! Two things... First of all thanks god you was not in any island the time of your incident occurred, as the local hospital are standardized on missing personnel and you might have been in a situation to be seen for a heart condition, from a ...Dentist or Dermatologist... (example) Secondly, present system, will not hold for too much longer as present Gov establishment, is trying to move to Private Health care.... SO you are Very lucky... Good luck in Greece and enjoy...!!
9:40 if your plan is to get married and stay here i say welcome to the Greek family!! As for the hospital every time you go there you get a number and w8 for your turn and none can say anything about it, now if is an emergency and the doctors say you dont get a number and rush in again its doctors call and none can say anything. Pro tip in Greece dont afraid to be rude with rude people. If someone insist to be rude with you a "voulose to re malaka" 99% of the times will solve the situation..
Your critic is correct, however the country is currently running the biggest programme of hospitals renovation since the entire healthcare system was established, so i'm guessing soon the interior, at least, of the buildings is gonna be a lot more attractive. By the way, your video was reposted by the Health Care Minister of Greece, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, and FYI he is a lot into social media. So if you wanna contact him directly, point out issues you came across or anything else i think he is going to be more than willing to talk with you. Cheers mate!!
something doesnt make sense, I had to get a doc;s note for my son who had the flu and the only way to get a doc in the public dept was by appt. two months later, and you were supposed to take the sick child there the first day of being sick, non sensical.But if you spend money going to pharmacies to test forcovid you have a chance to excuse the absences on the minute if positive (lately, all are)...ahhh now it makes sense
The Hospital Buildings are old but they can stand magnitude 9 earthquake. They were made to last aerial bombardments and nuclear blast waves. They were built during the cold war as you understand and they had cost a lot of money! So its not easy to replace them with new ones. Some will say this kind of buildings are not needed today but you never know, if you want to control the Med Sea and continue supplying Israel fast, you have to keep Greece (and Cyprus) under your influence. This region has been always at War and Turkey is already with the one foot out of NATO.
Φανταστείτε πόσο άσχημα είναι τα πράγματα στις ΗΠΑ... ουσιαστικά δεν υπάρχει κάποιο δημόσιο νοσοκομείο, αφού δεν υπάρχει και κάποιο σύστημα κοινωνικής ασφάλισης των εργαζομένων.
Παντρεμένος με Αμερικάνα είμαι...και ιδιωτική ασφάλεια να έχεις μια απλή επίσκεψη στα επείγοντα πχ ήπιες στο μπαρ πολύ και πήγες να σου βάλουν έναν ορό 2 ώρες, θα σου έρθει ενας λογαριασμός κανα δυο χιλιάρικα. Αν μιλάμε για ενα απλό χειρουργείο πχ κοίλης τότε μιλάμε για δεκάδες χιλιαδες.
Greek healthcare is certainly not amazing but also not so bad as described with other comments. Everyone has different experience and it has to do with the time you went to the hospital, which hospital was it and in which city, the personnel who was on duty and many other factors. In general though it is true that you are receiving a “free” healthcare (in fact it is not free since you pay huge amount of money every year for healthcare insurance) and the truth is that in general again you do not receive what you could if instead of the public healthcare insurance you paid for a private.
We still have free public healthcare in this country, yes. Let's just hope that our shamelessly neoliberal government will not abolish it completely within the next 3 years that they will still be in charge.
I was diagnosed 1year ago with cancer. I live in Crete and was in need of immediate care. I had to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy at a public hospital in Heraclion Crete. I was amazed by the fact that despite the incredible amount of people waiting for chemo, the staff was so well organised and so willing to provide care to everyone. Everything i needed, and still need, prescriptions, doctors notices, i just call them and get the prescription on my phone. I really wish to say that despite the many problems of the health system, the staff works very hard to provide care for the people in need, and they succeed. I wish to thank them for their hard work and kindness.
Έτσι είναι Γαρυφαλιά μου. Και ο πατέρας μου στα Γιάννενα πού κάνει ακριβώς τα ίδια με σένα λέει τα καλύτερα για τους ανθρώπους που εργάζονται σε τόσο "ευαίσθητες" θέσεις. Κάνουν τα πάντα για να κάνουν την εμπειρία σου όσο πιο ανώδυνη γίνεται. Εύχομαι περαστικά και να μην ξαναεμφανιστεί ποτέ όταν ξεμπερδέψεις. Σου στέλνω την αγάπη μου από την όμορφη Σπάρτη.
I have exactly the same opinion for Thessaloniki's hospital for cancer.
Κυρία Γαρυφαλιά, σας εύχομαι να υγιαίνετε και να ευτυχείτε μέχρι τα βαθιά σας γεράματα.
@@tr1b1tur Ευχαριστώ πολύ για την καλοσύνη σας.
@@BoogieBubble Ευχαριστώ πολύ για την αγάπη και το ενδιαφέρον. Εύχομαι καλή δύναμη και περαστικά στον πατέρα σου.
I am Greek. As a 19 year old I had a motorcycle accident in Crete which messed up my vacation badly and I dislocated my collar bone. I went to the hospital in Heraklion and on the spot they put it back in. wrapped me up and I was on my way. I am 64 now and it has never caused me any problems. I went to the US as a tourist 14 years later and while I was mowing a friend's yard a small rock hit my left eye. They took me to the doctor and I paid 1500$ US for an eye patch and a few eye drops due to lack of US insurance. Enjoy Hellas my friend and thank you for your good words.
You paid a one timer 1500$ for that eye patch (very expensive indeed) but you have paid about 100.000$ for that collarbone throughout your lifetime. You need to understand that the American culture is a culture of investing in the economy and that $100.000K you have paid to the Greek system in a lifetime and the Greek system allocates (and wastes - because politicians are shit!) would have made you a millionaire in the US in which case that expensive eye patch would have been peanuts for you. It's a matter pf perspective. Not to mention that as a US citizen you'd probably have some form of medical coverage to pay for it.
@C_R_O_M________ Trolling I guess.
@@C_R_O_M________
_"...$100.000K you have paid to the Greek system in a lifetime..."_
1> 10,000,000 people * €100,000 = 1 *TRILLION* €€€ ... *per generation!*
_Sure, your math makes sense..._
2> The amount of € the gov withholds from salaries isn't just for medical care, it's mostly for pensions.
@@C_R_O_M________ americans dont pay taxes? Weird, because americans paymore for taxes, it just goes directly to thepentagon and irs instead of Healthcare 😊
@@Jkjoannaki Dude, I'm Greek and I live in Greece, I have lived in the States for 3+ years. The Americans do pay taxes but AFTER they earn a lot of money. They have no VAT (or ΦΠΑ) which is a carpet tax and affects everyone, mostly the poor (they do have a sales tax but it ranges from 9% to nothing - depending on the State - nothing close to the 24% robbery in Greece) their fuel prices (before the Biden circus) used to be 4 to 5 times lower than those in Europe, now it's only about 2 times cheaper.
When your energy cost is that low you are much wealthier as energy affects everything.
An American with a $30K to $40K income is considered low income and pays almost nothing to the IRS (depending on the State again - some States don't have income taxes at all!)with California (or Commiefornia) charging the most of all States at . . . 13%!!!
Now take that and compare it to the Greek robbery of upwards of 50% if you count in VAT (ΦΠΑ) and the fuel tax that affects every single societal transaction!
Not only that but in the States your expenses are deducted from your taxable income.
So, Americans pay peanuts in comparison, that's why they are the innovators of the world because they keep the fruits of their labor and invest it to innovation and that's why most billionaires are Americans - kudos to them for they respect private property and don't steal it like the pseudo-capitalist EU (more like cryptosocialist and cryptofascist).
The 2nd Amendment plays a huge role in the freedom of Americans. The European citizens are toothless "lions" because they were disarmed and therefore prepped for exploitation.
P.S. The chances of you understanding anything I say here are slim to none, nevertheless, some soul may someday read that comment and learn something.
In Greece private hospitals are of easy things and show off. If you have something serious they refer you to a public hospital.
I idia katastasi einai stin Servia... I guess it is a Balkan thing 😭
@@Olakala123 😂😂🤣😂🤣
I am not sure if this is true. Private clinics like Diavalkaniko and Saint Lucas in Thessaloniki are super advanced with robotics and can handle anything you have to throw at them 🤷🏻♂🤷🏻♂
@konstantinoskonstantinidis7323 it is true with a pinch of salt. Just let's both accept that I might be making a tad of an over-statement, but more or less, it does happen to refer you to public hospitals when the sh*t hits the fan.
I am not going to go into specifics from personal experience, though.
@@konstantinoskonstantinidis7323then y have to trust a human AND a robot
My mother is a foreigner livibg in Greece for 30 years, uninsured until recently ( she now has old age basic pension including free medical cover). 5 years ago she needed life saving surgery which was free and which cost literally thousands of Euros. She received the best care at St Andrew s Hospital in Patras from all staff. She kept developing hernias and had a further 4 operations.
I do not believe she would have received better care anywhere else.
So in my opinion as a Greek with all problems and general hickups Greece does provide best medical care.
Absolute nonsense!
@C_R_O_M________ Trolling I guess.
@@nickdsp8089 nope... the system is shit
@@C_R_O_M________
Who hurt you?
As a professional nurse in public hospital for 20 years. Doctors and the medical staff in general in Greece are among the best!!!
Doctors are usually well qualified (with exceptions that cost lives). Nurses,they may be qualified but i am sorry , comparing to the care you have abroad it's shameful how much they don't care. Here, the relatives are the nurses .they are the ones helping the patient to go to the bathroom,find an extra blanket etc. or the relatives have to hire illegal immigrant ""nurses" with zero or questionable medical experience to stay with the patient night and day. That wouldn't happen if the care provided was enough.
Of course being understaffed is not helping, and obviously being understaffed is the politicians fault. i am talking about the general attitude of the majority of nurses
Where else have you worked to make such a comparison?
@C_R_O_M________ Trolling I guess.
@@nickdsp8089 again, not at all.
As a Greek i want to say "thank you". Underpaid, working too many hours, dealing with any kind of crazy, lacking resources... and you still manage.
it is true that we have the best doctors, thank you and welcome 💙🇬🇷
Wishful thinking.
not for long. Doctors are leaving the country
Greek doctors are some of the best in the world... but of course Greeks don't know it as most of them have never lived abroad
I have and I find Greek doctors average at best.
@@C_R_O_M________ wait time less and more thoroughly examined at a Greek hospital with expensive equipment in Greece free, compared to Australia… and Australia is top notch both countries are great for health care best fertility clinics in Greece also 👍
@@Makis01980 That's anecdotal (apart from the fertility clinics which I know it to be true - ironically Greece has a severe demographic problem).
In general Greece's healthcare system sucks. It's too expensive (you start paying for it since the very first day on the job - which means that a young person can't shop around for cheaper healthcare insurance as the Greek system takes money for itself anyway - a coercive scheme), wasteful, pays its doctors peanuts, hospitals are poorly maintained, everything about them smells corruption, from the guards at the entrances to the indifferent nurses and rude doctors. I've been around them too much to have a better opinion. Having said that, there are always exceptions to the rule. Just remember: nothing is free and when the State allocates capital it's a sure thing that money is wasted. Just not their own, ours!
@@C_R_O_M________ I was waiting for such a comment … this is the exact kind of thinking that’s holding Greece back … do you think there is no corruption everywhere ? You should see how IVF doctors treat patients in Australia $$$$$ you should see how back surgeons treat patients in Australia $$$$ my friend got his back operated on 3 times and his surgeon asked him how’s your hand ? I had a skii injury at Thredbo Australia on holidays and the doctor sent me to his mate back in Sydney for a $10,000 operation … well my knee healed on its own …: look at what Australia did to its citizens during Covid … Is that not a direct violation of human rights ? Is that not corrupt ? The only difference is corruption is seen in Greece because you all talk to each other you are vocal … which is a good thing … in other countries medical injuries are a common killer and no one speaks up…. Legal drugs are the second biggest killer in the US, who is prescribing these ? ‘Legal drug dealers’ …. Doctors… isn’t that corrupt ? In the US they will not let you into a hospital without insurance … isn’t that corrupt ? That’s against Ιπποκράτης oath.
No country is perfect … this what I’m trying to say, you in Greece don’t have it as bad as you think …
…..where were you last night ?
Do you know what a lot of my friends in Australia did last night, take their antidepressant and sleep at 9pm … life in Australia… one of the highest countries on antidepressants… why are all these so called wealthy and better off people depressed????
Deep seated corruption in the medical and social model of the country … no one should be depressed in Australia full of sun and the outdoors and mostly sporty people and an abundance of jobs right ?? Do Greeks really think they would be happier in Australia for example ?
Anecdotal? Yes
Widely traveled for over 10 years ? Yes
Had 20 years unfortunately of medical model experience? Yes
Had 20 years experience in the Education model? Yes
Educated? Yes
Friends from all over the world? Yes
Have I lived in different countries? Yes
I guess I hold pretty strong anecdotal experience.
@@C_R_O_M________ average compared to what? Most public doctors in Europe are as good as writing prescriptions... I am sure you don't know what you are talking about
As an ex -employee of a private hospital in Greece and a biomedical science, I assure you, public hospitals are the real shit. It's where real science goes on. Private hospitals have excellent doctors, but have a rather scheduled and peaceful practice; people don't go to private hospitals for emergencies, it's always one surgery they want to do or a special therapy. The doctors of the front line who manage all the difficult stuff as they progress, are the ones in public hospitals. And they are university hospitals too, that are also public and are also top scientists, because they are also into research. So in an emergency, always trust the public hospital here in Greece.
Αυτό μου έλεγε και η μαμά μου ότι η ιδιωτική ασφάλιση δε δουλεύει στα δύσκολα γιατί στο δημόσιο θα σε στείλει
I used to think the greek healthcare system is bad. But then I moved to the Netherlands... The land of "try some paracetamol and don't call again before theee days of extreme misery have passed".
They have nationalized healthcare system as well and treat people like "takers" not "contributors". Especially after a certain age. Try Denmark, same shit!
@@C_R_O_M________ Not sure what you mean by "nationalized" because GP practices, health insurers and hospitals are private in the NL, but it is shit for sure.
@@manost3239 The Netherlands have a Universal Healthcare system which means it is not market forces who decide what's what, but the government.
@@C_R_O_M________ Well that's the norm in Europe thank god. Access to healthcare is a human right, not a good to be traded by market rules. In fact healthcare problems in the Netherlands are exactly because the state tries to enforce market rules, i.e. cost cutting policies.
@@manost3239 So you think (about the reasons you don't like the Dutch system - I guarantee you, you don't know what you are talking about, look at dentistry in Greece which is the closest you can get to a market-based healthcare service, at least for Greece. It's the cheapest and of the best quality, almost worldwide and if it wasn't for the State taxes it'll be even cheaper)! What else is a human "right" food and shelter? You sound like a communist.
When i was pregnant i asked my doctor which private hospital was the best for labor. He laughed at me and told me that if there is an emergency, they will send me to public hospital. Doctors in greek public hospitals are really amazing.
Due to my health anxiety, I've been to almost all public hospitals in Athens the previous months. The buildings might be old, but they have the modern equipment and the medical stuff WILL take care of you.
I personally have weekly sessions with a psychologist in a primary health clinic which helps a lot. In general, compared to the US, I'm grateful we have public healthcare. Otherwise, I'd be in hundreds of thousands of euros in debt.
As a background, I moved from Greece to the United States at age 19 to attend college and medical school. I appreciate your coolheaded assessment of the Greek healthcare system. The medical and nursing staff in both public and private hospitals are well-trained and all speak English. I agree that the public hospitals suffer from poor amenities. I’m sorry that you experienced hostility from some locals. Most Greeks are hospitable. Public hospitals serve not only Greeks but also foreign citizens, tourism is one of the biggest industries in Greece. I am delighted that you have adapted well to Athens, not an easy city, more like a diamond in the rough
Fair assessment.
Public hospitals here are the best. Greek doctors and Greek nurses are well trained and save lives. My dad had an embolism and was saved by a internship doctor in Evangelismos.
Hello I am a Cretan /Dutch thank you for the nice videos. A friend of mine went to a private hospital here in Crete Greece for a serious operation he would pay thousands of euros but finally he ended up in a public hospital doing the operation because they had better equipment
@@alexandros6000-l6w so glad to hear
Private hospitals are just better "hotels" than state hospitals.However,that doesn't mean that state hospitals don't need to be improved.
@@ΛΟΥΚΑΣΛΟΥΚΙΔΗΣ-ζ9υ Yes its true in private hospitals you have better treatment inside the room
You guys generalize because of your intrinsic bias for socialized medicine which in reality is far more expensive and far less effective than private medicine when the private sector is let to operate. In Greece this is evident with dentists. It's basically the private sector giving you great services with great prices and no taxpayer money is wasted on them.
@@C_R_O_M________ Who said anything about dentistry?You're off topic.
Greetings from Spain! I'm a Canadian expat who cannot imagine moving back to North America. I love life in Southern Europe: Everything from health care to infrastructure to weather to public transit is better than Canada. North America is for those who want to make lots of money. Other than that, Europe is much better than both Canada and US in many ways. I wish you all the best in your new life in Greece!
I live in Athens for 20 years. It's true that there are problems in the system but let's be honest what small Balkan country doesn't have them? But the doctors are very well trained and do know what they are doing. I use the national hospitals and not the private ones only because I know that if it's very serious they will send me to the public hospital.
The food in the hospitals also is very very good. Very nutritional and very yummy. And also I never had to pay a cent for the treatments,my surgery even for the after surgery painkillers. All of that was talked care by my national medical insurance,that is paid by my employers. The most expensive thing that I paid in the hospital was the 2 euro coffee at the hospitals cafeteria. And this is one of the many reasons that I still live here. The people are awesome and food is delicious. I have a small salary but a great life
It was the healthcare personnel that did an excellent job and helped you. Our healthcare system faces myriads of problems and is kept alive by the labor of its professionals. In places where they exist of course. There are places on islands and in rural Greece where a health emergency is almost a death sentence.
There are places everywhere in the world where "a health emergency is almost a death sentence." Healthcare systems everywhere "face myriads of problems." In the US for example, the paragon of expert cutting edge medical care, literally millions of Americans have no access to healthcare. In Canada you can wait years for hip surgery for example, and you've got to get to a local clinic - because there are no doctors' offices per se - at the crack of dawn to get in line to see a doctor hours later, or spend the rest of the day at an emergency room waiting to be seen. The Greek healthcare system could be better, of course. But it's unfair to expect perfection. Let's stop constantly disparagingly comparing it to other medical systems. It is dependable and the quality of the medical care is very high. The other much vaunted medical systems are nowhere near as good as many here in Greece may think.
Exactly, it’s not just 5 minutes and out you go. I went to a doctor in Greece and he had his patients in for 20 and 40 minutes. A doctor who tried to educate his patients how to have better health. The doctors here in the States are most of them employees and can be fired if they don’t follow directions. Or, the pharmaceutical companies would go after them if they tried anything other drug pushing.
Nonsense! Generalizations.
@C_R_O_M________ Trolling I guess.
εχω βηματοδοτη μπηκα στον ευαγγελισμο για ελεγχο μου ειπαν πως πρεπει να αντικατασταθει η μπαταρια του με κρατησαν μεσα σε μια ωρα μπηκα χειρουργειο και εφυγα το απογευμα η εξυπηρετηση ηταν αψογη οι γιατροι και το προσωπικο ευγενεστατοι τους ευχαρηστω
An average doctor in the public health sector in Greece will see close ~80 K patients in his career. This sometimes makes things slow but the amount of experience these doctors have is enormous.
My newborn child as premature needed surgery on his eyes(Cornea) so as not to lose sight. The surgery was arranged in 2 hours, and the job was immaculate, now he is two years old with no problems. Surgery, hospital accommodation and after-surgery visits were completely free and doctors and nurses were exceptional. It might not be luxurious but they have results and that's all i care.
Even private hospitals and clinics are 1000 cheaper than in US .
You mention that if you want better treatment you can go to private hospitals etc... The truth is that if you actually want the best treatment and don't mind the old soviet, as you said 😄, feeling, you go to public hospitals. These doctors have such a huge experience with the amount of patients they treat daily, they are heros!! It's not uncommon for a private hospital to seek help from the doctors of a public hospital if a case is difficult.
Hi. I live in France. I had to spend 15 days with one of my children at a public hospital (for children only) in Greece. The building itself did not look as great as French public hospitals. But doctors and nurses were amazing. Back to France French doctors said they would not have done things differently (French public hospitals are also free). Everything was free in this Greek hospital (as a French citizen I have a european health card, and so do my children, they asked it to me in this Greek hospital and they said I wouldn't have to pay anything, just like Greek citizens). The food they gave to the child was ok, maybe not the best (almost always the same) but it was ok, I just had to buy some drinks in a shop in the courtyard (and I ordered some food for myself with an app, and sometimes for the child, there is a very good Greek app for deliveries but it's better to have a Greek phone number if you want to be called when they come to deliver the food). But nurses told me that the situation in public hospitals for adults was not as good because of low wages. Doctors go abroad or to the private sector because wages are higher there so she told me it was difficult for public sector to hire the best doctors and that there are some true problems in public hospitals for adults in Greece.
The Greek hospitals do the best they can despite the low wages.And that's all there is to it.People should be thankful cause with out insurance you can't be seen other places.
Greek doctors are amazing and ,yet,severely underpaid.
Eixa Giatroys YPO mou Strato & Lhstepsan to laptop Enos Nosokomoy Poy Omoiaze ton Asterix. Balkanogyftoi xarakthres Pantws XOOXOXOX
Grossly underpaid
@@directorchris2δεν πιστευουμε τις παραισθησεις σου
@@Jkjoannaki ορκιζομαι στ Θρησκεια σου. καλα Γκαριζε ο Αστεριξ 2 ΗΜΕΡΕΣ.... Σαμο Συνεβηκε .ΕΣΥ ΕΧΕΙΣ ΠΑΡΑΙΣΘΗΣΕΙΣ...Ο ΠΕΙΝΑΣΜΕΝΣΟ ΓΙΝΕΤΑΙ ΙΑΤΡΟΣ . Ο ΧΟΡΤΑΣΜΕΝΟΣ ΑΠΟΦΕΥΓΕΙ ΤΕΤΟΕΣ ΔΟΥΛΕΙΣ
@@ndladis ....Government Seek DOnations You know...
Interesting. I Have had a similar experience in Greece compared to Australia too. The doctors appear to be on a different level of competence. Good for you.
Hallo,we are happy to share our country with you and wish you a wonderful stay.I am from Thessaloniki. When i had a baby i did some tests to make sure the baby will be allright and i had the baby in a private clinic.But the doctor said that if the baby had some health issues, i would have to give birth in the public hospital,where they have the right equipment for th newborn.I also had some minor operetions in the public hospital and i must say that doctors and nurses were extremely polite and helpful.
in Greece everything is free and for the uninsured and medicines are cheap, if you want to go to a private doctor you pay at most 30-100 euros. if you want expensive hospitals of course these are for the rich 💙
Nothing is "free". We Greek citizens are paying it with our very high taxes!
@@vask3863 εγώ που δεν πληρωνω τιποτε σε άλλη χώρα ζω??
In Greece, the hospital buildings might be shitty, the equipment might be old, organization can be non-existent, but the Actual doctors and nurses (most of them) are amazing professionals and people that give their all to help others. As a Greek I try to not take for granted the fact that everyone and I mean everyone, will be offered treatment if they go to a hospital with an emergency and not have to worry about anything that comes after. A lot of things can be said to be wrong here, but this is not one of them...
No they are not (amazing professionals - most aren't) and stop proclaiming they are. BTW, all Americans get treatment (mandatory) if they turn up to the ER. Just because you don't know it doesn't mean it's not true.
In Greece we have great doctors, nurses and medical staff in our public healthcare system, although most buildings look disappointing. Now, you may get treated free of charge BUT it doesn't come for free at all because Greek citizens we are being heavily taxed on our salary every month in order for the healthcare system to function.
Great video overall, nice to see you visiting my hometown Piraeus.
My tweens were born earlier than they should. Although i had them in a private clinic they had to go to a national hospital Which were more equipped. I am Greek and i can tell you that national hospitals are really excellent and the only think we have to do is just give some of our salary every month ft or our health insurance.
My wife was diagnosed with a very serious case of cancer, 4 years ago. Even if we selected a private practitioner oncologist, the State covers 100% of the cost of chemotherapy and radiation treatments and actually, after an additional serious metastasis she managed to fight the Monster. The entire cost of her treatments for all these years did not exceed $2500, including the compensation of the private practitioner. In general, I trust Public Hospitals much more than the private ones, if you can be a bit patient with the lack of luxurious hotel accommodations.
Doctors/nurses trained in Greek hospitals and universities are top level. The issue is that they are short stuffed, the infrastructure (e.g hospitals) is not good and there are times that they lack of medicines, consumables and tools (e.g MRI machines, in some cases X-ray machines, CT scanners, etc..). I have to say in general, these people are incredibly good scientists and the fact that they do what they do under these circumstances, it really displays what human minds can do. I am happy that you do better! Cheers!
Doctors ARE NOT scientists (unless they run experiments and do actual research which most of them don't).
Many people bad mouth Greece, BUT Health care and schools + universities are completely free except if you choose something private yourself.
congrats on your choice to live here and have a family! i've spent almost a decade in the US (midwest, east coast, then south), and i personally think that the Greek health-care system is much better than the US one, even if you have full insurance there as well. And frankly, i think on average, greek doctors are better than their american colleagues...
I’ve used doctors, specialists and bought medicines in Greece. No complains at all. Everyone seems very knowledgeable, helpful and it’s affordable.
The main problems of the Greek Hospitals are that they are understaffed & the accommodation (because of the age of cost & the age of the buildings). Apart from that Doctors, Nurses etc, are extremely well trained, educated & experienced!
thank you sir for the honest opinion 👍 wish you all the best for your future and have fun 🇬🇷
Take care of yourself man, eat mediterranean and healthy
It just hit me that I have actually been to a Greek hospital when I was run over by a motorcycle as a 16 year old in Crete. I remember the nurse said I could be her daughter.
People abuse the system all over the world. But unlike the USA healthcare should be free to all who need it or at a low cost as you pay your tax and that funds it.
Taxes don't fund it. The Government provides the foundation allowing healthcare providers to charge the employer and healthcare coverage for every employee is required. (In Germany that is.) The employer then splits the cost being responsible for 50% for each employee, while the employee has to pick up the remaining charges. The US healthcare system will not turn down people admitted to the emergency room if they don't have health insurance. We do, however, wreck people financially with exorbitant medical charges after they recovered. This has pros and cons. US healthcare providers being in competition with each other strive to provide the best coverage possible. More Government oversight would be good and bad. The cost for medical services would drop, but so would the overall quality of the service provided. -- In the world we live in, I don't think medical providers, even if funded through employee paychecks, can make enough money to run the operation, let it be a hospital, or a private clinic.
In Greece everybody has access to free healthcare, unemployments, refugee's, gypsies, tourists..In Greece we admire more healthcare system of Scandinavian countries and their social healthcare system.
Untill the next bankruptcy, where there will be no healthcare at all,for nobody...@S.Stamos
@@dimitrismaster during the previous one i was unemployed and still use of hospital healthcare . Stay "positive"as you are, savior !
@@S.StamosI agree.
"Yes, we have a very good healthcare system, but it still needs improvements. Our doctors are excellent, both in their profession and as individuals, and the nursing staff works tirelessly and makes a great effort."
The previous year my girlfriend suffered a stroke by a lump in the head, she was about to die, was taken immediately to hospital, the excellent neurosurgeon perfomed microsurgery extracting the lump and cleaning the area in the skull and she now almost like us.
She remained in the public hospital for 17 days. For nearly two weeks(!) the nurses didn't care to give her something to defecate (e.g. Duphalac), although I had mentioned it, several times, reaching the point to plead them. They were "telling it to their cat and the cat to its tail" as we say in Greece.
The private nurse who was watching her at night told me that they didn't want to mix with the #hit.
They only acted when I revolted, started shouting and finally threatened the nurses office that I would call TV reporters for the case.
I don't say that is a usual event. I agree that nurses have a large burden in public hospitals, are usually exhausted. The conditions in public hospitals are on purpose being deteriorated to be given to private health.
A few years ago i read somewhere that Greece has a type of tourism that makes a difference from regular touristm ,it's for in vitro fertilization wich we have supposedly the highest success worldwide and many couples come from US and Europe to conceive a child. I know a couple that only had 4 ovaries in deep freeze due to getting in menstruation condition coming sooner and it was their last chance to have their second child and now she gave birth to a realy beautiful daughter. 😊
Welcome to Greece brother!!!
Greece is one of the countries in European union where even if you don't have insurance and you go to the emergency they'll treat you and you won't pay anything
Thats a true story bro. Buildings and infrastructure may look bad. We have shortage of medicines often and many other issues small or big BUT even though i would never leave USA if i had resident visa because lets face it, USA is 50 years ahead of us in the tech and social freedom sectors and generally the feeling of freedom and equality cant be compared to any country BUT there is a huge problem living there and you wont realize it until its too late. If something happens and you lose your job or have chronic illnesses like crohns disease which i have btw.. the cost is enormous there!! I cant forget talking to a friend living in the states. He had to go to an ER asap after an alergic reaction he suffered and he paid 30000$ for a day!!!! I am all in when it comes to free market and i believe in no interference from the goverment in peoples business but not helping a dying person because it happens the insurance is expired or lost his job or whatever has to be categorized as inhumane!!!! All in all what i want to say is that i may not be stocked living in Greece but the fact that we treat people as fellow human beings gives me hope and belief that things may and will get better. And please ignore those people that treat you like second class human because you are foreigner, most of us are not like this and the only way you can offend someone in a hospital is to try and skip the line without a good reason. We may not have the best healthcare in the world but the fact remains.... we have one even if a little broken and can sleep at night knowing that we wont pay 30k$ for an ER visit and who knows how much more if its a bigger problem. So ...welcome to Greece ! I hope the country to meet your expectations as this was a big decision :) . If you need any guidance or help for Athens or our bureaucratic stuff which are alot and extremely frustrating feel free to drop me a message!😊
Had to smile when I noticed this is my city of Piraeus. Welcome to the neighborhood!
All things aside, thank you for your fair view of the system. It’s much beleaguered but as someone who has traveled a lot abroad, including US (mostly Seattle/ SF) I’ve come to appreciate the ease of access to a lot of services , here in Greece.
Even many private services are still way cheaper than elsewhere, even if you have to pay out of pocket.
Wishing you the best in your time here (… subscribed too, of course 🙂)
This is a very true statement. Also Greeks tend to moan about everything that's public services, taxes, health insurance, but what they miss is that in the rest 99% of the world countries, health service is either a lot worst or 10 times more expensive and not as inclusive.
Hello , Please accept my wishes for your complete recovery ! This is really fortunate situation for you and for all foreigners who visit our country. I used to travel a lot and I am aware of the uncertainty travelling abroad may induce.. Could you please clarify what kind of oeraration and which one was the public Hospital ? The 100 euros bill was paid by you or by your private insurance ? This is useful info for us and our foreigner friends and visitors to forward to them too. Many thanks in advance ! Keep walking my friend and keep on doing this wonderful work !! 😊👋🙏
No better health care in a private hospital just better accomodation !!! Many times private hospitals sent their patiεnτs to public hospitals either because they have the right equipment or greater experience !!
Greek doctors are top notch.. They are a truth we all know..

I am Greek and have lived half of my life in the US and his account is 100% accurate. In the US even when i had the best insurance through my job it wasn't as good as in Greece. In the US the doctor sees you for 3 minutes. In Greece for half an hour. Even if you pay for a private doctor in Greece it's around 50 euros which is really not that much even for Greece. It's a lot less than car repairs. It's what you would pay for a meal for two at a restaurant.
It's not all shiny and perfect!😢
But much better than in other countries!
Mostly by a great effort overworking doctors and nurses!
And of course the greek " φιλότιμο"( philodimo)!!!!
Take care of your!! ,🤗
Healthcare in the USA is expensive because of the service provided. The question is do you need top notch latest technology to provide healthcare? Do you need massive campuses with labs etc? It is a race where once you start competing it’s never ending. Greece has good quality education and hospitals and they will never be MIT or Mayo Clinic. And that’s fine. People do their best
@@coniliakis I agree. 90% of people in America are priced out of the top care we are famous for. To me, Greece is outstanding.
im a greek pharmacist, and i can attest that everything a greek doctor lacks in equipment, they invest in heart. you can bet on that.
American health care is based not on cure but maintenance, so you will always need its services, which means more profits. In Greece it is the opposite. American Universities no longer produce the best doctors as they pay more attention to gender, dei, safe spaces than to proper medicine. There are doctors now in America who insist men can get pregnant and have periods.
Pax Americana is finished just like Pax Romana was.
@@xadionwc3 not even close to being true for most cases.
@@LargeManAbroad Blame your governments for the pricing out of patients because they wildly distort the market with the money they dump into the system (Federal Healthcare costs in the US is the highest in the world - and that's per patient, if I recall well) and regulations, distortions of the insurance market, etc. Go pay with cash in an American hospital and negotiate you'll get very different pricing (even 60% discounts) ! Guaranteed!
You are in Piraeus! The church is Saint Constantine at Municipal Theater Square. My home is just 400 meters from where you were vloging 🙂🙂🙂.
Have a beautiful stay in our city, my friend.
Hi! Thanks for your good words about the healthcare system. i live just behind the church next to metro station, and was kinda funny watching my home at your video :)
@bullspre I often have coffee at coffee island. If you see me your welcome to have coffee with us. Also how do you deal with the church bells? 😆
@@LargeManAbroad thanks a lot for the invitation! i am walking my dog at least 3 times per day, so i might see you around.
@@LargeManAbroad you get used to it my friend...this is the only way...!!! 🕍🤗
Είμαστε χριστιανοί ορθόδοξοι , πηγαίνουμε τίς Κυριακές , καί τίς μεγάλες γιορτές στήν εκκλησία μας , ώστε οι καμπάνες μας μας είναι πολύ οικείες !!! Πρέπει νά τίς συνηθίσετε αν θέλετε νά μείνετε κοντά μας !! Άλλωστε χτυπούν συνήθως μόνο τίς Κυριακές , τίς πρωινές ώρες !! Συνήθως !!😊
In Greece, clinics like that Hippocrates one, are actually private diagnostic centres. These diagnostic centers are also staffed by doctors who make a first diagnosis of you lab results. Basically, in these clinics you can walk in, get your blood tests or MRI's or Xrays, and the cool part is that if a doctor has prescribed one of those tests "referals" you can pay a very minimum price for the lab tests. Of course you can buy them if you dont have any public health insurance. But they're not actually hospitals, only for lab results. There is a publicly available Hospital-like local Health Centres, in greek they are called "Health Centres"(Kendra Hygeias) or the ones called TOMY's that have a wide range of doctors who can examine patients for free if they have a social security number(basically everyone who pays taxes in Greece has a s.c.#, and children are considered dependant family members that are protected by the parents social security number...)
Hi mate and thanks for your videos. I stumbled upon your video regarding the Greek health care system and ended up watching another 3... I am Australian ex pat and last February i reached a 20 years cycle of living in Greece... Being "half" Greek there are so many things I love and hate about this place... yet i'm still here and even though Australia is in many ways a beautiful country, i have no regrets regarding my decision to take the leap.
P.S. Would love to reach out to you but you have no contact info.
Your content is awesome. I’m also from the US and I think that’s about all we have in common, yet I’ve found your videos to be relatable. That surprised me. 😄
Question - Have you ever considered living in Spain? I am right now weighing the two.
The big thing is that I like living in run-able cities - like Mexico City and places in Florida come to mind where there are vast stretches of beautiful spaces embedded in cities with tons of amentities. It’s funny because though I’m saying this I have a health condition that prevents me from running - one I hope will change in the very near future. #runnerat❤️
Any feedback you have is greatly appreciated- and even if you aren’t inspired to respond, thanks anyway for all the insight you’ve already provided. Best to you and yours.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Im the guy with the red t-shirt in the back😁😁 Nice vid, respect brother!! 🙏🙏
Well said! Thank you
What Greece has in abundance, are lawyers and doctors. They are like 10 times more per capita, than most countries except India! Their level is mostly quite top notch unless you compare them to Cedars- Sinai or that level . We have weasels too but public Healthcare has its limitations, best are some hybrid establishments like Onassio MC!
@@misanthropas that wss correct about the huge doctor and lawyer abundance but since the financial crisis the amount of doctors going abroad is massive. You just can't compete with 7000+ salary per month when you pay your doctors one to two thousand. Of course many still take fakelaki and have their private office but at some point "stay here because it's your country" doesn't cut it. In the future we will have a shortage of doctors in public hospitals and I've read it's already happening
Greeks are the best doctors in the world and the most of them are in abroad because they asked them to work there.
They explain u on details what exactly you have and why u have it they give u ur x rays and also give u psychological support all in one booking. Also very clean.
I cannot say the same for London I ve never experienced these socking health care conditions before that only if you are die they check u or u need to do a whole nonsense procedure to make a booking on gp or private is so expensive and they finish u in 3 minutes just to do it they don’t even care. Terrible ! Also they don’t explain u ur situation and can be mean if u asked them.
The doctors and nurses in Greece care. You may not get a room, you may end up in the hall, but they wont let you die on them. 3 time cancer survivor here
Thank you for this video!
You are so welcome!
Greece was a magic place until 1981. It had its problems - mostly on imported luxury products - but ALL THE REST WERE ABUNDANT AND CHEAP... Then, we entered the "Modernization by Globalization"....
@@daddoukos before 1981 their was no healthcare system at all, lol.
@@georgek8950 you are right, for your case, there is no treatment.
@@daddoukos Not a matter of opinion. Prior 1981 the healthcare system was similar to US and in a very bad shape. Usually in order to survive if you had money you could go abroad.
@@ndladis clearly, u live in a parallel world, where FACTS and TRUTH are scarce commodities. I bet in that world people that Metaxas was a dictator, too and Venizelos a hero. Have a nice life
keep strong, thanks for the commentary, always good to get insights
Thank you for your nice words and your video. Please come again in Greece 🇬🇷. Greetings 🙏
Can you share the link to your Heath Insurance. That sounds like a good deal.
We have the best doctors and nurses
Unfortunately our hospital buildings are in this condition because of the financial downfall of our country but the staff is great doing it’s best.
Ι really don't care if the buildings are old. Are there enough ambulances, ambulance personnel,nurses,beds, working medical equipment and doctors? Are they well payed and not overworked?The answer is no to all of that. If the answer was yes we would have a good healthcare system, because most doctors and nurses are qualified.. Now people die .
I’m glad everything worked out for you..♥️🙏
I agree to the most you say in the video.
But ten years ago i broke my foot in Sifnos, a very touristic island.
I visited the public health center and the only doctor (a young (as usual) doing his compulsory "countryside" duty to gain experience) told me that there was an x-ray photographic machine in the next room for years but was still wrapped in its packing they had carried it to the place. As we say in Greece "every miracle lasts only three days"
greek here. our healthcare is pretty bad and used to be even worse. doctors would commonly ask for bribes (φακελακια) to do procedures, the hospitals are understaffed and underequiped with great waiting lines and the general quality seems to be pretty awful. every single person in my family pretty much has had an issue with public healthcare here because it is an underfunded public service like any other public service in greece.
someone speaking some truth finally, people can get preferential treatment occasionally, epsecially tourists. Nothing wrong with people getting efficient service, just wish the locals had equal rights.Some can be luncky or unlucky depending on the shift and even if the hospital has certain docotrs or not for a whole 24hour period or even days. Misdiagnosis and especialy ignorance has led people to almost die in nuemrous cases in my town's public hospital. In my case I went undiagnosed for 15 hours of internal bleeding because the local hospital had no radiologist to perform a simple ultra sound. Videos like these can be misleading in a country that demands some descency from the publc healthcare system they pay with their taxes from their ridiculously low salaries. Just my humble opinion.
@@lotusflowers5644 almost die? I had the mother of a friend of mine died from complications from ...hip surgery (operating room infection!!!!) and he then committed suicide because he couldn't bare the sorrow. Two dead on the scoreboard for the "great" Greek healthcare system!
Appreciate what YOU HAVE. the guy is telling you that if you were in the states or canada..and you didnt have any money..they would throw you to die in the streets. in Greece this just doesnt happen. sure you will wait, and the hospitals are old...but the entire planet knows that the best doctors in the world ARE GREEK.
How about in a small island do they have a good health care
I hear good things about Crete. Other than that I couldn't tell you. Sorry.
Hey,i am greek living in Athens, the reality is that if you are a tourist or a western expat you may get preferential treatment. I've seen it happen. You can see how it can be frustrating. People who abuse the system are all the illegal immigrants who pay zero taxes including gypsies who have made a fortune off the government benefits and every illegal activity imaginable. This is where the greeks' frustration comes from
@@anonymous-qc3sy I understand, and yes tourist definitely get treated differently in many aspects. Also, being in a relationship with a Balkan girl has given me alot of insight to the whole gypsy thing haha.
Thanks for sharing your feedback :)
It is obvious you have not lived abroad . If you had , you could understand that the Greek health care system is just amazing and FREE . Nobody is left untreated and just the best doctors there is
@@user-sn6dz2ie4k almost nothing is for free in life. The tax payers are paying for it plus many people are forced to use public clinics or die in public hospitals because the public hospitals don't have even simple machines or doctors or need way too long for a procedure or the ambulance takes 5 hours to come or doesn't come at all. Obviously the healthcare cost in the states is a disgrace and a nightmare for anyone, it's inhumane. I am not comparing greek healthcare with that
@@user-sn6dz2ie4kIf someone has recently visited a Greek hospital, the last thing to describe it as, would be "amazing".
It is complete indifference from the politicians. Old buildings, low payed and few doctors in analogy with the patients, and great amount of people waiting in the emergency every time.
It's an "if he dies he dies" situation.
You get it. Spot on brother
Yes our healthcare is good though it costs us dearly. Having lived in NL and experiencing an inferior health system its hard to choose
Compared to the US, Greece is top tier. Compared to the rest of Europe it lacks almost in every aspect.
I am a greek citizen. I am glad that we have a public health system and i strongly support that every country should have one. My mother was a cancer pacient at Ippokrateio, where she died. Because of the persistingly bad Greek health policies, the level of health services have severly deteriorated in Greece. There was difficulty in programming my mom's chemo sessions -keeping the necessary periods between sessions, no profesional help in moving her from our house to the hospital and back, we carrieed her in our arms to the 4th floor at the hospital for her chemo's. We had to wait 3 hours for the chemo to start and we gave to her doctor 300 euros at every chemo session (in an envelope). When she was internated in the hospital, where she died, there was one nurse for more than 30 patients (we changed her diapers, we brought sheets and towels, no hygiene policy in the hospital, etc). Half of her pension was spent on her medicine / drugs. We had to pay for someone to stay with her when we where at work. No counseling for her or for us during her ilness or after she died. And many more things.
This was all in 2013. Now its worse.
I am glad that foreigners have this image of our health system. It means that we haven't lost our sense of hospitality. I don't know how things are in the US, but for the Greek citizen, our experiences are quite different from what you are discribing. And you say that these services are cheap. For a salary of 2.000 euros/month, a person pays per month (every month for his working life) only for health insurance almost 300 euros. Almost 500 for his pension fund.
In Greece, because of the policies during the last 30 years or more, the health services for the greek population are neither cheap nor high leveled. Because of the bad working conditions, nurses and doctors are rude, incencitive, burned out and forcingly (because of the formentioned bad working conditions) unprofesional. Every nurse / doctor that could leave the country, did so.
I am just mentioning the basic stuff and although i could say more i will stop here. There must be a reason that people are miggrating to the US and not the other way around.
How much would one need to retire in Greece per month. To live a comfortable lifestyle. Not extravagant but you know what I mean.
2000€ and you would be fine. If not in Athens, then even better
Those who pay into the system, and pay the fakelakia that perpetuate it, salute you.
Looks like where my father grew up in Pireaus. Hatzikiriakio near the crusie ship terminal of of Akti Miaouli.
This local clinic you spoke about. What is the name exactly and what is its address? It is difficult to make out in the video. Thank you.
Leof. Ir. Politechniou 65, Pireas 185 36
@@LargeManAbroad Thanks. I just noticed this.
Sorry to bother you again, but with your, I think you said AIG insurance, do you first have to pay out of pocket and are then reimbursed by AIG? Thanks much.
Hello sir. I left a comment and I no longer see it here. No profanity, no inappropriate language whatsoever. Did you delete it or UA-cam?
No I don't delete anything. You aren't the only one it seems. It has to be a bot thing.
100 bucks in Greece is like 10% or 15% of someone's monthly salary though, plus if a public service you 've already paid through state insurance and tax. But they can make you charges on top of that. And many other issues. It's great to know the hospital won't charge you and also you can decide when to walk in (in most of Europe you can't really go to the hospital like that). The problem is for non emergencies there is always some charge. It does not matter how much you 've been paying on tax/statutory health insurance.
The primary problem of Public Healthcare in Greece lies on the fact that they lack adequate financing to replace old equipment in time, hire more nurses and give better remedies to the staff, properly maintain and upgrade the infrastructure. Aside from that, healthcare personnel carries heavy expertise and may be considered on the top ranking places in the industry (yes, there are some exceptions like in every work indrustry).
Mate, nothing is free in this world. You may know it, you may not, you may see it, you may not see it around you. But for the treatment you got someone else paid... That's not bad in any way and you were fortunate you had proper and good treatment. Have a good start in your new life, wish you luck!
Great hearing your story dear friend...! Two things... First of all thanks god you was not in any island the time of your incident occurred, as the local hospital are standardized on missing personnel and you might have been in a situation to be seen for a heart condition, from a ...Dentist or Dermatologist... (example)
Secondly, present system, will not hold for too much longer as present Gov establishment, is trying to move to Private Health care....
SO you are Very lucky... Good luck in Greece and enjoy...!!
9:40 if your plan is to get married and stay here i say welcome to the Greek family!! As for the hospital every time you go there you get a number and w8 for your turn and none can say anything about it, now if is an emergency and the doctors say you dont get a number and rush in again its doctors call and none can say anything. Pro tip in Greece dont afraid to be rude with rude people. If someone insist to be rude with you a "voulose to re malaka" 99% of the times will solve the situation..
Just discovered you.. Welcome to my country sir !
Are you trying to learn Greek ?👋💪✌️
Your critic is correct, however the country is currently running the biggest programme of hospitals renovation since the entire healthcare system was established, so i'm guessing soon the interior, at least, of the buildings is gonna be a lot more attractive.
By the way, your video was reposted by the Health Care Minister of Greece, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, and FYI he is a lot into social media. So if you wanna contact him directly, point out issues you came across or anything else i think he is going to be more than willing to talk with you.
Cheers mate!!
Σουηδία γίναμε!! μπράβο μας!! Για να προλάβω σχόλια ... παίζει να τους ξεπεράσαμε κιόλας!
something doesnt make sense, I had to get a doc;s note for my son who had the flu and the only way to get a doc in the public dept was by appt. two months later, and you were supposed to take the sick child there the first day of being sick, non sensical.But if you spend money going to pharmacies to test forcovid you have a chance to excuse the absences on the minute if positive (lately, all are)...ahhh now it makes sense
The Hospital Buildings are old but they can stand magnitude 9 earthquake. They were made to last aerial bombardments and nuclear blast waves. They were built during the cold war as you understand and they had cost a lot of money! So its not easy to replace them with new ones.
Some will say this kind of buildings are not needed today but you never know, if you want to control the Med Sea and continue supplying Israel fast, you have to keep Greece (and Cyprus) under your influence. This region has been always at War and Turkey is already with the one foot out of NATO.
Φανταστείτε πόσο άσχημα είναι τα πράγματα στις ΗΠΑ... ουσιαστικά δεν υπάρχει κάποιο δημόσιο νοσοκομείο, αφού δεν υπάρχει και κάποιο σύστημα κοινωνικής ασφάλισης των εργαζομένων.
Παντρεμένος με Αμερικάνα είμαι...και ιδιωτική ασφάλεια να έχεις μια απλή επίσκεψη στα επείγοντα πχ ήπιες στο μπαρ πολύ και πήγες να σου βάλουν έναν ορό 2 ώρες, θα σου έρθει ενας λογαριασμός κανα δυο χιλιάρικα. Αν μιλάμε για ενα απλό χειρουργείο πχ κοίλης τότε μιλάμε για δεκάδες χιλιαδες.
@@nikospapadopoulos168 Απίστευτο!!! Μας τα έλεγε κάποτε μια ηλικιωμένη Αμερικάνα που συναντήσαμε και νομίζαμε ότι υπερβάλλει.
When I went to NY for a vacation, health insurance is MANDATORY.
Greek healthcare is certainly not amazing but also not so bad as described with other comments. Everyone has different experience and it has to do with the time you went to the hospital, which hospital was it and in which city, the personnel who was on duty and many other factors. In general though it is true that you are receiving a “free” healthcare (in fact it is not free since you pay huge amount of money every year for healthcare insurance) and the truth is that in general again you do not receive what you could if instead of the public healthcare insurance you paid for a private.
You are most welcome, and enjoy! Drink some ouzo now! :D
Also, use the system as much as you want! ;)
We still have free public healthcare in this country, yes. Let's just hope that our shamelessly neoliberal government will not abolish it completely within the next 3 years that they will still be in charge.