Andreas Xanthos

A battle royal has broken out between the government and main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras over the charges of the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Workers, Michalis Giannakos, that some hospital beds have been set aside for VIPs, even as other intubated COVID-19 patients are being treated outside ICUs, waiting their turn on the prioritised waiting lists.

Former health minister Andreas Xanthos was known for his moderation and spirit of cooperation during the four years that he served in the SYRIZA government, and these traits are apparent in his stance in the opposition today.

A key witness in the inquiry regarding an alleged bribery scandal involving Novartis yesterday claimed to have met with top officials of leftist SYRIZA before the party came to power in 2015 during his second deposition before the parliamentary committee probing possible political interference in the investigation.

Newly-appointed Labour and Social Affairs Minister Nikos Vroutsis has rescinded an encyclical signed by three SYRIZA ministers on 20 June, a bit over two weeks before the general election, which simplified procedures for the issuance of the AMKA social security number for  non-EU nationals and in particular for migrants, asylum seekers, and unaccompanied refugee children.

A supervised drug consumption site where people will be able to use narcotics with sterile injection equipment under the supervision of trained staff is to start operating in central Athens in the coming days. 

Private diagnostic centers will remain closed as of Tuesday across Greece in protest at the Health Ministry's so-called clawback policy - the amount of money the businesses have to return to the state. Sector representatives will meet on Tuesday with Health Minister Andreas Xanthos in a bid to break the deadlock. [Intime News]

Health Minister Andreas Xanthos announced on Thursday that transgender people will from now on be treated by the ESY national health system according to the gender that they identify as.

The union of Greek hospital workers, POEDIN, has bemoaned another spike in violence against hospital staff by patients or their relatives and called on Health Minister Andreas Xanthos to take action to address the issue.

The disparaging comments made by Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis about a conservative candidate in next month's European elections continued to make waves on Wednesday within the government, not least within his own ministry.

The government unexpectedly tabled a law amendment in Parliament on Wednesday which provides for an increase in the prices of pharmaceutical products by up to 10 percent compared to the previous price list.