NEWS

Bid to end 5-euro hospital charge

Alternate Health Minister Leonidas Grigorakos on Wednesday proposed that a 5-euro fee that patients pay for outpatient treatment at state hospitals be scrapped and the lost revenue offset by other measures such as increasing taxes on tobacco products and alcohol.

Grigorakos told a press conference that he had recommended the abolition of the fee to the Finance Ministry and the coalition leaders, noting that the revenue it raised last year was 19 million euros, a relatively small sum that “can be secured with offsetting measures” such as increasing taxes on tobacco products.

He added that the Health Ministry received only 9 million euros from 2.5 billion euros in state revenue from tobacco products over the past two years.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.