Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis announced today (29 June 2026) the conclusion of the free afternoon surgical operations program, funded by Greece’s Recovery Fund. According to the official assessment presented jointly by Georgiadis, Deputy Health Minister Mario Themistokleous, and General Secretary of Health Services Lilian Vilidiridi, a total of 26,845 free afternoon surgeries were performed. Over 66,570 vouchers were issued to citizens on waiting lists.
Why Fewer Procedures Were Carried Out Than Planned
The original plan envisioned approximately 50,000 interventions—but around 23,000 vouchers went unused. Georgiadis clarified that the bottleneck was not a shortage of surgical teams, but rather patient uptake. Many recipients had already undergone surgery in regular morning operating sessions, received care elsewhere, or simply did not attend for personal reasons. ‘It wasn’t that we lacked surgical teams,’ he stated, dismissing recent media speculation and describing the initiative as a ‘unique success.’
98% Reduction in Long-Term Waiting Lists
A key outcome highlighted by the minister was a 98% reduction in the number of patients waiting more than four months for surgery—demonstrating significant progress in tackling chronic delays. The program was financed with €41 million from the Recovery Fund: roughly €36 million went to the National Healthcare System (ESY), while the remainder supported surgeries carried out in private clinics under the same scheme. Of the 26,845 procedures completed, 78% took place in public hospitals and 22% in private facilities.
Unified Surgical Waiting List Shows Gains
Officials also pointed to improvements linked to the Unified Surgical Waiting List. In 2025, over 522,000 surgical interventions were performed—up from about 400,000 in previous years—the highest annual volume recorded in recent years. The average wait time from registration on the unified list to surgery is now five weeks.
Georgiadis noted that when the current administration assumed office, some 90,000 ‘cold’ (long-pending) surgical cases remained on waiting lists. For cataract surgeries specifically, waiting times have been drastically reduced: patients in Greece now wait about six weeks, compared to over six months in several OECD countries.
While the program has ended, the minister left open the possibility of its revival—should waiting lists rise again—funded this time through the state budget rather than the Recovery Fund.