A new digital system aimed at transforming emergency care in Greek hospitals will introduce electronic trackers for each patient in Emergency Departments (ED), marking a significant step in the modernization of the National Health System (ESY). The initiative officially launched Thursday, at Evangelismos General Hospital in Athens.
What the System Does
Each patient arriving at the Emergency Department will now be given a digital tracker that allows medical staff to monitor in real-time the tests a patient undergoes and the different checkpoints they visit during their stay. The goal is to streamline care, reduce wait times, and improve overall service quality.
Following its debut at Evangelismos, the pilot phase will expand to 14 hospitals by mid-July and reach 80 hospitals nationwide by January 2026.
Part of a Broader Healthcare Overhaul
The introduction of electronic bracelets is one of 10 new measures unveiled to modernize and enhance Greece’s public healthcare system. These reforms are grouped into three strategic pillars: improving healthcare services and staffing, upgrading infrastructure, and promoting preventive care.
Here are the key components of the broader plan:
- Hospital Service Ratings: Beginning in June, patients discharged from hospitals will be invited to evaluate the care they received through a specially designed digital questionnaire.
- Home Delivery of High-Cost Medications: Also starting in June, thousands of eligible citizens will begin receiving home delivery of high-cost medications from the National Organization for Health Care Services (EOPYY), reducing the burden on patients. Deliveries will be handled by a specialized logistics company.
- Mobile Medical Units (KOMY): A universal rollout of mobile health units will begin in remote mountainous and island regions, offering routine checkups and healthcare access to residents of small or isolated communities.
- Boost in Staffing: Recruitment of 430 healthcare and administrative personnel for Emergency Departments in Attica is scheduled for 2025. This includes 58 doctors, 121 nurses, 165 stretcher-bearers, and 86 support staff.
- New Emergency Departments: 11 ultra-modern Emergency Departments will be delivered to major hospitals in Attica this year, with four more expected in 2026. The new ED at KAT Hospital is set to open on Friday.
- Free Surgeries in Private Clinics: Funded by the Recovery Fund, 7,000 free afternoon surgeries will be performed in private clinics to cut waiting times. Patients have already started receiving appointment notifications via SMS, and operations are underway.
- New Trauma Centers: 16 new trauma centers will be established within public hospitals across Greece.
- Preventive Screening Program Success: Over 2 million citizens have participated in the “Spyros Doxiadis” preventive health program, with more than 65,000 early diagnoses made that have significantly improved treatment outcomes.
- Adult Obesity Program: By July, a new national effort to combat adult obesity will begin. It includes free medical evaluations, prescriptions for anti-obesity medications (for individuals with BMI over 40 and comorbidities), and mandatory support from certified nutritionists as part of a holistic treatment approach.
