Greece launches digital tools for ER wait times and e‑prescriptions in public hospitals

From early July, Greece’s Ministry of Health will activate two digital measures in public hospitals. The MyHealth app will be linked to a wrist‑band in emergency departments, allowing patients to view real‑time average waiting times and choose hospitals based on current traffic. At the same time, an electronic prescribing system will be introduced for all public hospitals, creating a unified digital record of drug dispensation, prescription reasons and dosage variations to tighten control of pharmaceutical spending and reduce unnecessary costs.

The rollout also extends the Oikothen programme, which enables patients to receive treatments at home and be monitored remotely. Started in 2023, the initiative now operates in four hospitals and treats thousands of oncology and multiple‑sclerosis patients. New digital devices – blood‑pressure cuffs, scales and tablets – will be provided to patients, automatically transmitting vital data to a central platform that generates alerts for clinicians and supports teleconsultations, appointment scheduling and personalized health guidance.