To σύστημα υγείας της Ελλάδας όπως το παρουσίασε το Lancet

[Denominator]

Παραθέτω ένα πολύ ενδιαφέρον άρθρο του Lancet που βρήκα στο διαδίκτυο σχετικά με το σύστημα υγείας στη χώρα μας.
Νομίζω ότι αξίζει να του ρίξουμε μια ματιά.

[Argirios Argiriou]

Παραθέτω ένα πολύ ενδιαφέρον άρθρο του Lancet που βρήκα στο διαδίκτυο σχετικά με το σύστημα υγείας στη χώρα μας.
Νομίζω ότι αξίζει να του ρίξουμε μια ματιά.

Γράφει στο άρθρο αυτό μεταξύ άλλων: " The financial crisis has influenced the morale of doctors, nurses, and all other medical staff. In my opinion, this is the most serious consequence.."

Κατά την δική μου γνώμη δεν έφερε η οικονομική κρίση την ηθική κατάπτωση. Μάλλον το αντίθετο συνέβη...

[Denominator]

Κατά την δική μου γνώμη δεν έφερε η οικονομική κρίση την ηθική κατάπτωση. Μάλλον το αντίθετο συνέβη...

O όρος morale αποδίδεται ως ηθικό. Δεν είμαστε σύμφωνοι ότι το ηθικό των εργαζομένων στο σύστημα υγείας έχει μειωθεί;

[Argirios Argiriou]

Κατά την δική μου γνώμη δεν έφερε η οικονομική κρίση την ηθική κατάπτωση. Μάλλον το αντίθετο συνέβη...

O όρος morale αποδίδεται ως ηθικό. Δεν είμαστε σύμφωνοι ότι το ηθικό των εργαζομένων στο σύστημα υγείας έχει μειωθεί;

Έχεις δίκιο Βασίλη. Επηρεασμένος από τα Σουηδικά όπου η λέξη moral σημαίνει ηθική και όχι ηθικό, ερμήνευσα λάθος την παραπάνω φράση στα Αγγλικά.

[Denominator]

The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 10 October 2011

doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61556-0Cite or Link Using DOI

Health effects of financial crisis: omens of a Greek tragedy

Alexander Kentikelenis, Marina Karanikolos, Irene Papanicolas, Sanjay Basu, Martin McKee, David Stuckler, Email Address

Greece has been affected more by the financial turmoil beginning in 2007 than any other European country. 15 years of consecutive growth in the Greek economy have reversed. In adults, unemployment has risen from 6·6% in May, 2008, to 16·6% in May, 2011 (youth unemployment rose from 18·6% to 40·1%),1 as debt grew between 2007 and 2010 from 105·4% to 142·8% of gross domestic product (GDP; €239·4 billion to €328·6 billion) compared with the average change in the EU-15 (the 15 countries that were EU members before May 1, 2004) from 66·2% to 85·1% of GDP in this same period (€6·0 trillion to €7·8 trillion).2 Greece's options were limited, since its Government ruled out leaving the Euro, precluding them from one of the most common solutions in such circumstances: devaluation. To finance its debts, Greece had to borrow €110 billion from the International Monetary Fund and Eurozone partners, under strict conditions that included drastic curtailing of government spending. Whereas other countries in Europe (eg, France, Germany) now show signs of economic recovery, the crisis continues to evolve in Greece; industrial production fell by 8% in 2010.

...

Compared with 2007—ie, before the crisis—2009 saw a significant increase in people reporting that they did not go to a doctor or dentist despite feeling that it was necessary (odds ratio 1·15, 95% CI 1·02—1·30 for doctors' visits; 1·14, 1·01—1·28 for dentists' visits [figure, webappendix p 2—3]), after correcting for differences in survey respondents including age, sex, marital status, educational attainment, and urban or rural residence. The main reasons for not seeking medical care did not seem significantly linked to an inability to afford care (0·87, 0·74—1·02), but to long waiting times (1·83, 1·26—2·64), travel distance to care (2·50, 1·35—4·63), waiting to feel better (1·93, 1·26—2·96), and other reasons not captured by the survey (1·54, 1·05—2·27).

...

Τhere are signs that health outcomes have worsened, especially in vulnerable groups. We noted a significant rise in the prevalence of people reporting that their health was “bad” or “very bad” (1·14, 1·02—1·28; figure). Suicides rose by 17% in 2009 from 2007 and unofficial 2010 data quoted in parliament mention a 25% rise compared with 2009. The Minister of Health reported a 40% rise in the first half of 2011 compared with the same period in 2010. The national suicide helpline reported that 25% of callers faced financial difficulties in 2010 and reports in the media indicate that the inability to repay high levels of personal debt might be a key factor in the increase in suicides. Violence has also risen, and homicide and theft rates nearly doubled between 2007 and 2009. The number of people able to obtain sickness benefits declined (0·61, 0·38—0·98) between 2007 and 2009, probably owing to budget cuts, and further reductions to access and the level of benefits are to be expected once austerity measures are fully implemented.

A significant increase in HIV infections occurred in late 2010. The latest data suggest that new infections will rise by 52% in 2011 compared with 2010 (922 new cases versus 605), with half of the currently observed increases attributable to infections among intravenous drug users.19 Data for the first 7 months of 2011 show more than a 10-fold rise in new infections in these drug users compared with the same period in 2010.20 The prevalence of heroin use reportedly rose by 20% in 2009, from 20 200 to 24 100, according to estimates from the Greek Documentation and Monitoring Centre for Drugs.

Another indicator of the effects of the crisis on vulnerable groups is increased use of street clinics run by NGOs. Until recently, these clinics mainly catered to immigrants, but the Greek chapter of Médecins du Monde estimates that the proportion of Greeks seeking medical attention from their street clinics rose from 3—4% before the crisis to about 30%.

... more at Δεν είναι ορατοί οι σύνδεσμοι (links). Εγγραφή ή Είσοδος

Σχόλια του in.gr στο Δεν είναι ορατοί οι σύνδεσμοι (links). Εγγραφή ή Είσοδος

[Denominator]

The Lancet, Volume 378, Issue 9801, Page 1459, 22 October 2011

doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61638-3Cite or Link Using DOI


Increased suicidality amid economic crisis in Greece


Marina Economou, Michael Madianos, Christos Theleritis, Lily E Peppou, Costas N Stefanis


Greece has entered a long period of economic crisis with adverse effects on various aspects of daily life, including the mental health of its citizens. Within this context, the Greek Ministry of Health reported that the annual suicide rate has increased by 40%; nonetheless, a systematic investigation to address the effect of the Greek economic crisis on suicidality is still lacking.

In an endeavour to fill this gap, the University Mental Health Research Institute (UMHRI) implemented a nationwide cross-sectional telephone survey, completed on May 1, 2011. The study adopted the same methods as an earlier one done during February—April, 2009, which explored the links between major depressive symptoms and socioeconomic variables. A representative sample of 2256 respondents was drawn from the national telephone-number databank, with telephone numbers belonging to businesses or services being excluded. Informed consent was obtained from all participants and the study was approved by the UMHRI Ethics Committee. Recent suicidality was assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) and financial strain was measured by the Index of Personal Economic Distress (IPED), an eight-item scale with good psychometric properties.

Of the study findings, the most alarming one pertained to suicidal attempts. There was a 36% increase in the number who reported having attempted suicide in the month before the survey from 24 (1·1%) in 20092 to 34 (1·5%) in 2011. We also found that a significantly higher proportion of respondents with an IPED score of 15 or more (ie, high economic distress) had attempted suicide in the month before the survey than had respondents with an IPED lower than 15 (27 [10%] vs 7 [0·6%], p<0·001). Similarly, a significantly higher proportion of respondents with a high IPED had shown suicidal ideation in the month before the survey than had respondents with low IPED (58 [21·2%] vs 86 [7·4%], p<0·001). These results accord with those of Stuckler and colleagues, who reported a 17% increase in suicides in Greece, and might suggest that the ways in which economic distress is experienced by the population could be discerned in their increased suicidality.

Consequently, there is an urgent need for intensive screening, follow-up, and treatment of people with suicidal ideation, especially now that the recession has led to increases in both suicide attempts and suicides. Despite the turmoil, Greece is struggling to maintain a social welfare state; however, gaps in primary health care render the situation hard to address. Telephone helplines might contribute to alleviating the stress germane to financial hardship, prevent the proliferation of suicidal thoughts, and guide people to effective and timely treatment.

More at Δεν είναι ορατοί οι σύνδεσμοι (links). Εγγραφή ή Είσοδος

[Denominator]

Alexander Kentikelenis, Marina Karanikolos, Aaron Reeves, Martin McKee, David Stuckler. Greece’s health crisis: from austerity to denialism. Lancet 2014; 383: 748–53

Summary

Greece’s economic crisis has deepened since it was bailed out by the international community in 2010. The country underwent the sixth consecutive year of economic contraction in 2013, with its economy shrinking by 20% between 2008 and 2012, and anaemic or no growth projected for 2014. Unemployment has more than tripled, from 7·7% in 2008 to 24·3% in 2012, and long-term unemployment reached 14·4%. We review the background to the crisis, assess how austerity measures have affected the health of the Greek population and their access to public health services, and examine the political response to the mounting evidence of a Greek public health tragedy.