From June 1 all citizens will have a personal doctor
The second phase of the reform of the reform proceeds at a rapid pace staff. Within the last three months, nearly 2,000 additional personal doctors have been added to the system, raising all the personal doctors available to 5,496. More than 5 million citizens have been registered to date.
Also to date, about 250 pediatricians have joined and provide free access In a personal pediatrician in 350,000 children.
From June 1, citizens who have not enrolled in a personal doctor will automatically register with the system based on the residence data stated in AMKA.
In any case, however, citizens have the opportunity to choose the personal physician they wish, without any burden, the Deputy Minister of Health stresses in an interview with RES-EIA. Irene Agapidakis.
He notes that improving primary health care is a priority for the government and refers to the interventions in detail. Among them are integrated from early March of certain Health Centers in the hospital on -call program. According to the first results, the program delivers, as in just three weeks, four health centers served more than 10,000 incidents.
Following is the interview of Deputy Minister of Health Irene Agapidakis in RES-EIA:
Q: What are the results of the effort to modernize primary health care to date? How are changes expected to affect the daily lives of citizens?
A: Improving and enhancing primary health care in Greece is a priority of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ policy, so that in addition to accessing treatment, we can finally win in our country more years of healthy life – this has been missing for 40 years from the health system. In this context, I also work, applying a comprehensive strategy that ensures access to health for every citizen.
Substantial interventions are already underway in dozens of health structures with human resources strengthening, enhancing medical equipment and modernizing the facilities of the Health Centers. We have been implementing the greatest renovation of the NHS infrastructure since 1983. Projects are currently underway in more than 156 Health Centers and Hospitals across the country, with the first renovated infrastructure surrendered immediately. We implement a large -scale intervention totaling € 240 million (now VAT). We already have the first renovated health centers that have been delivered – this is the largest, most effective and faster renovation ever made to the NHS.
In many parts of the country, social inequalities in health care influence the quality of life of citizens, especially in areas with a lower socio -economic level. This makes it even more imperative to upgrade infrastructure and enhance accessibility to health care for all, regardless of the place of residence. I know well from municipality to municipality the different needs across the country. That is why I chose to start the medical exams at home with the ESY Mobile Health Teams from the villages of North Evros, as well as in other areas of the country with increased social inequalities in health. We do the same with the actions for childhood obesity traveling all over the country and give access to children and parents who have not had such opportunities so far. Similarly, the situation in Attica is similar, such as in the western sector of Athens. In areas such as Peristeri, Ilion, Chaidari, Agia Varvara and Petersburg, we strengthen existing structures and develop new ones to meet the chronic health needs of citizens who remained without response. The establishment of a University Health Center in Ilion, the development of TOMY in Agia Varvara, the establishment of the Multipurpose Regional Medical Center in Petersburg, to mention some indicative.
In addition, the beginning of March has begun the integration of certain health centers into the on -call program to actively support the hospital work. In just three weeks, four Health Centers – Alexandra, Maroussi, Kallithea and Lavrion – served more than 10,000 incidents in the new context of the new on -call context, proving the effectiveness of the initiative. Soon, the other five health centers will follow, with the support of 150 additional health professionals. Our goal is to better serve the citizens, near their place of residence, without waiting and unnecessary hassle. I urge citizens to visit the Health Centers for moderate severity problems, as they serve faster and avoid discomfort, while at the same time doing a good deed for their fellow human beings who resort to hospital emergencies for more serious issues, facilitating them.
The strengthening of prevention, which we have achieved by establishing the first organized prevention system that the country has ever had for breast cancer, cervix, colon and cardiovascular and has saved over 65,000 people. It is an investment with a social sign: it serves equality, improves everyday life and builds a more fair, more human health system and closer to every citizen.
Q: At what stage is the institution of a personal doctor?
The second phase of the reform of the personal physician is proceeding rapidly. In December, the new law was published, 6 Joint Ministerial Decisions have been issued and almost 2,000 additional personal doctors have been added to the system within the last three months. We have already covered over 5 million citizens and continue steadily with daily registrations.
We have made significant steps to make it a reality that for years has been heard as a wish: all citizens have one doctor who knows them, watch them over time, and be their first and immediate reference to prevention and support. We still have a road, but the results are very encouraging.
Q: In order for the personal doctor to move on, doctors need support and citizen training. Do you think today there are these two elements?
A: You say it right. The personal doctor is not just a technical measure – it is an institution that requires active involvement for both doctors and citizens. Citizens are beginning to understand and trust the institution – only over 250,000 citizens have already registered in 2025 and young people are constantly registered. Of course, more information is needed to “build” a new culture of prevention and constant care. It has also made a significant contribution to the program that is being built in our country for the first time prevention culture. As you can see, these changes are not fragmentary but complementary. The citizen also needs his personal physician and the free and integrated preventive system- and we provide them both.
It is worth noting that our country is facing a serious timeless problem. While we have a high percentage of doctors in total, only 6% of them – in total, in the public and private sectors – are general doctors or physicians. To understand the size of the problem, the average in the European Union is 20%, and in countries such as Portugal that have achieved excellent results in primary health care, the rate is 40%. So we have a long way to go. That is why we today give strong scientific and economic incentives to young doctors to follow the specialty of General Medicine or Pathology. For the first time we give a one -off financial incentive of 40,000 euros to young doctors who will choose to be trained in the specialties of General/Family Medicine and Pathology. We want to draw a stable career path for those who choose to serve in Primary Health Care. Thus, we give strong incentives to strengthen the specialties of General/Family Medicine and Pathology and seek to have an increased number of physicians in the health system for the next 10 years. We are working for today, but also the tomorrow of our country.
Q: What has happened to date? How many have been registered, how many doctors are involved and how many have used the services of the personal doctor?
A: The total of available personal doctors is now 5,496. By comparison, in 2024 we had 3,545. So there is an increase of about 2,000 personal doctors across the country. It is worth noting that the system is dynamic and covers more and more people every day in more areas of our country.
Q: From June 1st the registration of the personal physician system will be automatically. Explain to us what this means and how the citizen will learn to which doctor is registered?
A: Citizens who have not enrolled in a personal physician by the end of June will automatically register on the basis of home details stated in AMKA. The assignment will be made with a personal physician in the municipality of residential or in a neighboring municipality, to ensure universal coverage of the population and further enhance primary health care.
In any case, citizens have the opportunity to choose the personal physician they want, without any charge. If a citizen does not want a free personal physician, he or she will be able to declare a private physician or general physician of his choice. And, of course, citizens reserve the right to change a doctor: once in 12 months, or twice within 12 months if they change the region.
Q: The institution of a personal doctor is also reinforced by pediatricians. How many are needed and what has been done to date in this area?
A: For the first time, in our country, we brought the personal pediatrician who was instituted in November. This service is first designed to cover 500,000 children. Each pediatrician can record up to 1,500 children, with a monthly remuneration of approximately 4,000 euros.
To date, about 250 pediatricians have joined and provide free access to a personal pediatrician to 350,000 children. We will soon cover the total population of 500,000 children we have as an initial goal.