Insufficient primary care services to the rural population of Greece.
نویسندگان
چکیده
The aim of the Greek healthcare system is stated to be universal coverage and provision of equal services to all citizens 1 . This ambitious aim can hardly be said to have been realised. Primary healthcare in Greece remains poorly organised and highly fractured, as it is delivered by a variety of providers that differ in quantity, quality, effectiveness and efficiency of care provision. As a consequence, Greeks often have unequal access to standard services, depending on factors such as entitlement, geographical accessibility and ability to pay. This holds particularly true for the large proportion of the Greek population who inhabit rural areas. Semi-urban and rural populations comprise 30% of the Greek population. In theory, primary care in rural areas is delivered to all citizens without charge by NHS (ESY) rural health centres and rural (provincial) dispensaries, which are expected to provide comprehensive health services (diagnostic, curative, preventive, health promotive and rehabilitative). However, according to the national household survey Hellas Health I, only 20% of the rural population tends to use NHS rural health services as their main source of primary care (Table 1). The majority chooses to use private or urban primary care services instead. It is notable that 31.8% of rural population uses private doctors as their primary source of health care.
منابع مشابه
Comparison of primary health care services between urban and rural settings after the introduction of the first urban health centre in Vyronas, Greece
BACKGROUND Discrepancies in primary health care (PHC) services between urban and rural settings have already been studied in many countries; however, limited information exists regarding countries, such as Greece, where public Health Centres dedicated to primary care have not been in existence in major cities. The objective of this study was to evaluate points of divergence or convergence betwe...
متن کاملHow to integrate social care services into primary health care? An experience from Iran
Background: Social issues have prominent effects on the peoples' physical and mental health and on the health risk factors. In Iran, many organizations provide social care services to their target population. This study aimed to explore the roles and functions of Primary Health Care (PHC) system in providing social care services in Iran. Methods: This was a qualitative study, for whic...
متن کاملCognitive screening tools for primary care settings: examining the ‘Test Your Memory’ and ‘General Practitioner assessment of Cognition’ tools in a rural aging population in Greece
BACKGROUND Under conditions of high demand for primary care services in a setting of low financial resources, there is need for brief, easily administered cognitive screening tools for use in the primary care setting, especially in rural areas. However, interpretation of these cognitive tests' results requires knowledge on their susceptibility to cultural, educational and demographic patient ch...
متن کاملSelf-medication with antibiotics in rural population in Greece: a cross-sectional multicenter study
BACKGROUND Self-medication is an important driver of antimicrobial overuse as well as a worldwide problem. The aim of the present study was to estimate the use of antibiotics, without medical prescription, in a sample of rural population presenting in primary care in southern Greece. METHODS The study included data from 1,139 randomly selected adults (545 men/594 women, mean age +/- SD: 56.2 ...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Rural and remote health
دوره 11 1 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2011