Vasilis G. Apostolopoulos, President of the Athens Medical Group , described the healthcare sector as a central pillar for building a strong productive model while speaking at the Delphi Forum. As he emphasized, a country seeking meaningful growth must first and foremost ensure that its healthcare system operates at the required level.
Mr. Apostolopoulos emphasized that Greece currently has a particularly strong healthcare sector, with significant expertise, high-level scientific personnel, and modern technology.“Greece is fortunate at this moment to have a very strong healthcare sector, with extensive expertise, strong credentials, Greek doctors, and the necessary technology to do their work properly,”he noted.
He placed particular emphasis on the potential for growth in medical tourism, which he described as one of the key components of the new economic model. In his view, the combination of advanced technology and highly skilled scientific staff can make the country a major draw for patients from abroad.
However, he did not fail to highlight the significant obstacles facing the private healthcare sector. As he noted, companies in the sector are burdened with a higher tax rate compared to other sectors of the economy, a fact that creates significant distortions. At the same time, he also referred to the VAT rate, which has risen from zero in the pre-memorandum period to 24% today.
These burdens, according to him, are a key factor in the tension observed between private hospitals and insurance companies, affecting the overall functioning of the healthcare market.
Mr. Apostolopoulos concluded by emphasizing the need to streamline the sector’s regulatory framework so that the country’s comparative advantages can be fully leveraged and the contribution of healthcare to economic growth can be strengthened.