Economic Crisis in Greek ORs

Greece’s economic crisis has deepened despite the measures taken by the international community in 2010. The Greek economy shrank by 20% between 2008 and 2012 without evidence of growth in 2014. The unemployment was 24.3% in 2012 (7.7% in 2008) and now the maximum rate of long-term unemployment went up to 14.4% [1]. The growing pressure from the Greek governments especially the hospitals budget cuts creates pressure on the effectiveness and efficiency, devastating the Greek healthcare system. Economic crisis in combination with the continuous growth of hospital costs services on one hand and the pressure by patients themselves for lower cost and better treatment on the other, has driven governments in Greece, to restructure the hospital sector (known as “hospital mergers”).