Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on 1 December a series of new measures that see to extend the e-prescription system to include antiretroviral medication.
The announcement came in an effort to improve medical care and establish for those who are HIV-positive on the occasion of World AIDS Day.
Part of the same debate were plans to establish free self-diagnostic tests to help restrict the spread of AIDS and to improve the adoption and fostering process that currently make it hard for HIV-positive individuals to adopt and foster children.
Mr Mitsotakis, also reaffirmed his confidence on his decision to mandate vaccination for citizens over 60 years old stressing the significant increase in the appointments booked by those over 60 following the announcement. Appointments reportedly reached 20,000 in the 24 hours after the imposition of the 100 euro fine per month for every individual over 60 years that remains unvaccinated.
“It is a timely and targeted choice that is also characterised by justice, proportionality and determination,” he said explaining that the unvaccinated pose a threat to themselves and those around them.
Despite it being a decision that had perplexed him “(…) as a deeply liberal politician that finds any sense of mandatoriness hard to stomach”, “given the heavy weight of responsibility for the common good, I prefer to temporarily seem strict but ultimately be proved right”, he said.
“In the last month our older fellow citizens appeared relatively reluctant to get vaccinated. Of the 580,000 that are unvaccinated, only 70,000 booked an appointment for a first dose, which was the smallest percentage out of all other age groups,” the Prime Minister concluded emphasising that the 100 euro fine is in fact motivation and a small compensation to assist Greece’s beleaguered hospitals.
“Currently, ICUs are not filling up with military personnel and police officers but elderly people and this is where we are focusing our efforts,” he stressed.