Adonis Georgiadis reports 98% cut in surgery waiting lists as free afternoon ops end

The Greek Ministry of Health announced that the free afternoon surgery programme, financed by the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund, has achieved its main target. 26,845 free operations were performed and 66,570 vouchers were issued, but only about 26,000 patients used the service. The waiting list for non‑urgent ("cold") surgeries longer than four months fell from roughly 90,000 cases to about 7,000, a 98 % reduction. The programme cost €41 million (≈€36 million to public hospitals and €5 million to private clinics). In parallel, total surgical activity rose to 525,000 procedures in 2025, up from around 400,000 in 2024, and the Ministry covered the remaining backlog by increasing regular morning surgery slots and using voucher‑based private‑sector capacity. A large recruitment drive filled 82 % of 1,171 vacant medical posts, improving staffing in historically understaffed hospitals. The minister said the programme will not be renewed with state funds, but the health system will continue to monitor waiting‑list data and may launch further measures if needed.