Greece’s new national healthcare appointment system, 1566, faced early challenges as 200,000 appointments were booked within the first five days of operation. The system, designed to centralize scheduling for public hospitals, experienced temporary overloads due to around 110,000 incoming calls, creating long waits and some booking errors.
Citizens reported difficulties confirming their appointments. One patient, Spyros, explained: “I called 1566, provided my details and the doctor’s name, and was told my appointment was booked. Two days later at the hospital, they said it wasn’t registered.”
The Deputy Minister of Health, Marios Themistocleous, highlighted the transition from the previous 1535 number to the new 1566 hotline, which also allows bookings through the MyHealth mobile app and finddoctors.gov.gr. He noted that the system now integrates all public hospitals, health centers, and contracted doctors. “From October 1st, we have significantly increased the number of available appointments. From 500,000 per month, we aim to reach 830,000 monthly, which will help reduce waiting times,” Themistocleous said.
A press conference is scheduled later today to release the results of a citizen satisfaction survey across healthcare regions. Preliminary findings show:
- 75% rate their hospital experience as good or very good.
- 90% successfully located the specialist they needed.
- Hospital food quality and nurse staffing levels received lower scores.
The launch of 1566 represents a major step toward streamlining Greece’s public healthcare system, though early technical issues highlight the challenges of managing high demand.
