The Greek health care system is almost seventy years old, and gives coverage to people regardless of financial standing. It was recently ranked 14th out of 191 by the World Health Organization, and the government has recently increased annual spending on health care. The Greek system is split into regional and district divisions. These divisions take the stresses off the central government and make each district in charge of its own individual needs.
The welfare system is headed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. There are several different coverage schemes which apply to different groups. The largest group is the Institute of Social Insurance (IKA), and this coverage scheme applies to about 50 percent of the population. There is also the Organization of Agricultural Insurance, Civil Servants, TEVE-TE (for merchants and other traders), and the banks and telecommunication insurance scheme. The IKA offers pension, sickness insurance, and welfare benefits. Each of these other programs offers similar basic insurance packages, but they each have their own differences so that the package is specialized for the industries they cover. Unfortunately, the welfare system is under funded, and this inhibits the effectiveness of the Greek health care system. One result of this is that many hospitals are understaffed, while others do not have the appropriate technology.
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