Governance

The main authorities for Health and Well-being policies in Greece are: the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Organization Against Drugs.  

More specifically:

The Ministry of Health has as its mission the practice of social policy for health and welfare, which includes:

• the promotion, protection, preservation and restoration of the physical, mental and social well-being of the individual and the society

• the protection of individual and social rights during the provision of health and welfare services

• the protection of the natural environment, the control of goods and services that affect individuals’ health and the adoption of measures to promote the best possible quality of life

• the definition, training, control and promotion of health and welfare professions, as well as the definition and control of production, distribution and consumption of health goods, with the aim of meeting the needs of society as a whole

• informing society about the protection and promotion of health and healthy ways of living, as well as the avoidance and treatment of diseases and disabilities and the processes of individuals’ reintegration into society.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is responsible for individual and collective labor contracts, working time limits, gender equality, social protection and rehabilitation of people of special categories, the facilitation of people with disabilities, the supervision of insurance funds, the prevention of occupational accidents and occupational diseases, management of community and other resources related to the development of human resources.

The Ministry of Culture and Sports  is tasked with the protection, rescue and promotion of cultural heritage and the development of the arts in Greece as well as the cultivation, dissemination, consolidation of the sports spirit throughout the society and the safeguarding of the values of Olympism and spread of the Olympic Spirit.

The Organization Against Drugs has as its main objectives:

a) the inter-ministerial coordination, planning, promotion and implementation of national policy regarding the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of substance dependent persons,

b) the study of the problem of substance addictions at a national level, the provision of valid and thorough information and the awareness of the public,

c) the establishment and effective operation of prevention centers, treatment units and social-professional reintegration centers.

Cross-sectoral cooperation

According to the National Strategy for Public Health (2021-2025)  the cross-sectoral actions for Public Health are one of the fundamental directions of modern Public Health policies. In addition, the special characteristics of public health problems and their undeniable multifactorial nature require a horizontal approach, unified planning and cross-sectoral measures. In this light, the adoption of the "Health in All Policies" Principle constitutes an absolutely crucial and fundamental necessity. Directly related to the above is the experience gained from the management of Covid 19 pandemic. The sudden and enormous health crisis has highlighted the aforementioned necessity on a global level, while the valuable experience gained as a consequence of this collaborative and horizontal crisis management confirmed it. The National Action Plan for Public Health 2021 – 2025 is the first cross-sectoral effort in our country to obtain a targeted and strategically planned policy for Public Health.

According to Law 4675/11-03-2020, by joint decision of the Minister of Health and the co-competent Ministers as the case may be, the Inter-ministerial Council of Public Health (ICPH) is established. Its purpose is the coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the National Action Plan for Public Health and the resolution of relevant issues of multi-sectoral and cross-sectoral nature. With the same decision, the members of the Inter-ministerial Council of Public Health are appointed with the participation of all involved Ministries of a General Director with Deputy Director the General Director of the same Ministry, as well as one (1) of the General Secretaries of the co-competent Ministries serving as President of the ICPH.