The first afternoon surgeries in the country started from Papageorgiou Hospital shortly before 4 pm. These are two total knee arthroplasty surgeries on a 67-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman and a hernia operation on a 54-year-old man. Shortly before the start of the afternoon surgeries, Health Minister Adonis Georgiades, accompanied by the Deputy Ministers, Marios Themistokleous and Dimitris Vartzopoulos, visited the Papageorgiou surgeries, met the surgical team and spoke with the first patient who underwent a total knee replacement. The cost of the first operations as a symbolic gesture will be covered by the Ministry of Health. Note that about 50,000 evening surgeries will be covered by the Recovery Fund.
«I really feel very happy that something that we have been discussing for 32 years now is becoming a reality,» said Mr Georgiades, who thanked Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis «for the unlimited trust he showed me so that we can today carry out this historic event for the NHS» and the responsible Deputy Minister, Mr Themistokleous, who has been the protagonist of this whole effort.
«But above all, I want to thank the many doctors, anaesthetists, nurses, paramedics, in almost all hospitals in the country who have already signed up to the reform of the evening surgery. Already now, after Papageorgiou Hospital, we will be at AHEPA Hospital, where afternoon surgeries are also starting, tomorrow at the next hospital, the day after tomorrow at the next, every day more hospitals and clinics are following the reform. But I would particularly like to thank the patients who, despite the negative climate that some people have tried to cultivate, rushed not only in Thessaloniki, Athens, Larissa, Alexandroupolis and many other cities in Greece to participate in the afternoon surgeries,’ Georgiades said.
The Minister of Health expressed confidence that in a few weeks, when the system will start functioning properly, and when the funding from the Recovery Fund will start, the public will realize that this is a reform for the benefit of the National Health System, but mainly for the benefit of patients.
“I would like to say that the current special surgeries, here and at AHEPA, following the Prime Minister's decisions, although the patients had paid for them, by ministerial decision, because they were anxious to have surgery, we will refund their money. The Department of Health will pay them back as a symbolic gesture to launch this major reform that is changing the history of the NHS. I want all our fellow citizens to know that we will not stop working around the clock so that we can deliver the best NHS. Those who think we are working against it are wrong. We love, respect and trust the NHS, both the medical, nursing and other staff, and all the reforms we are making are so that the NHS can continue to function worthily for the next many years and not, of course, against them, as some people think,» Georgiades added.
Referring to the conversation he had with the first patient before going into the afternoon surgery, he said: «The first patient did the honour of speaking. It was very touching because he said he had been waiting to be operated on since 2019, he couldn't find a way to operate and when he found out there were afternoon surgeries, he was the first one to call and ask to come in for surgery. It is a touching moment that with an initiative you took, at least one of your fellow citizens found a solution to a chronic problem he had. He told us his whole adventure until today when he arrived to have surgery.».
Angela Fotopoulou
