There are multiple factors that breed the culture of the “fakelakia” – the “unofficial payment” that is still expected by some doctors, for the services they offer in Greek public hospitals, according to the Minister for Health, Mr. Pavlos Xanthos, who was visiting Crete this week.
The doctor-patient relationship needs to be built on a different foundation, with a system that does not allow the vulnerable patient, to be unprotected and at the will of others, within the hospital.
“There must be no more tolerance or cover ups of this behaviour”, said Mr. Xanthos, announcing the creation of a new online platform, that will allow patients and their families to make an official, but anonymous complaint, in case of experiencing this form of bribery.
The Minister was speaking at a conference being held on Crete, where statistics were presented and which showed the prevalence of this culture.
The percentages were not especially high, but were enough to lead those present, to the conclusion that the “fakelaki”, is still part of the everyday cultural reality of patients and their families, in the hospitals of Greece and with Crete being no exception.
On the other hand, many people still insist on giving doctors an amount of money as a “thank you”, for their help. This is without actually being asked to do so, something which should also not be happening, according to the Ministry, as it means that the average person still believes that there is some kind of moral obligation or belief that “gifting” doctors will secure “fair or better” treatment.
Several discussions were held during the conference, all of which aimed to find ways to educate the public and to and relieve the social conscience, especially in the younger generations.