Greece- Doctors protest EU/IMF reforms- 10/2/2011February, 2011

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=415112&version=1&template_id=39&parent_id=21

Demonstrators shout at police officers during a protest rally yesterday in front of parliament in Athens. Greek doctors, health workers and pharmacists walked off the job and marched to the parliament to protest a key EU/IMF reform aimed at helping the debt-chocked country cut health spending

Greek doctors, health workers and pharmacists walked off the job and marched to parliament yesterday to protest against an EU/IMF reform aimed at helping the debt-choked country cut health spending.

Greece spends 25bn euros ($34.12bn) per year or roughly 10% of GDP on healthcare but waste and corruption have long plagued the sector, and lenders have set the healthcare reform as a top priority for this year.

The bill, which merges pension funds’ health services and opens up the pharmacists’ profession, was set to pass in parliament despite the protests.

The ruling Socialists have 156 deputies in the 300-seat parliament.

About 1,000 doctors, health workers and pharmacists in white coats chanted “Disgrace” and held banners reading “Don’t eliminate doctors” and “Free public health services for everyone” outside parliament. Some waved Greek flags.

“This bill is damaging our sector. We want it to be withdrawn now. We won’t stop fighting,” said 40-year-old Panayotis Kandaris, a pharmacist.

About 100 doctors have been staging a sit-in at the health ministry in Athens since last week in protest against the reform, and some of their unions have threatened indefinite strikes unless the bill is withdrawn.

Pharmacists have been staging on and off strikes for the past few weeks.

Greece has cut public sector wages, frozen pensions, raised taxes and started reforms to open up its economy to more competition, as agreed with the EU and the IMF last year in return for the 110bn-euro bailout.

EU and IMF inspectors – dubbed the troika – have been in Athens since Monday to assess whether Greece has made enough progress on its fiscal consolidation plan, including on health reforms, to get the green light for a fourth, 15bn-euro, tranche of the bailout that saved it from bankruptcy in May.

Deputy Finance Minister Philippos Sachinidis told Skai radio that the inspectors were satisfied with the progress.

“The fourth (aid) instalment has been secured for Greece,” he said. “From now on, the debate focuses on how we will be doing with our target to reduce the deficit and bring it below 3% of GDP in three years.”

The Greek government will publish by March a binding text spelling out budgetary measures the country intends to take to meet targets up to 2015, he said.

International lenders were satisfied with talks this week on pension reform, with actuarial studies showing last year’s shake-up of the system was on track to achieve its targets, but asked for more data on supplementary funds, a Labour ministry official said.