The process of free movement within the European Union has led to the need for changes in the regulations regarding the right of access to health care for people moving from one country to another in order to achieve the coordination of national social security rights at European level.

European Directive 24/2011 and Law 4213/13 require the competent National Authorities to ensure national standards and quality and safety guidelines, as every citizen has the right to primary health care and health care, while health systems are not allowed. refuse to provide health care, nor discriminate nationally.

Healthcare providers provide relevant information to patients to make informed treatment choices related to the quality and safety of healthcare and issue detailed invoices.

In Greece, providers are subject to a system of professional liability insurance or guarantee for the nature and degree of risk either through the relevant professional associations individually or under the responsibility of their employer, while applying to patients from other EU member states the same table of health care fees that applies to patients who are part of the respective social security system, while the fundamental right to personal data is protected by European provisions.

The National Contact Point and the competent services of the National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (EOPPY) provide information to patients, upon request regarding all their rights in relation to receiving cross-border health care.

The Directive requires each Member State to designate one or more national contact points for cross-border healthcare, which are in contact with patient organizations, healthcare providers and healthcare insurers and are responsible for providing patients with information on with their rights.

After the provision of care, the Member State of insurance undertakes to reimburse the costs of the insured’s health care, provided that the treatment in question is one of the reimbursable forms of care. The level of reimbursement is equal to the amount would have been reimbursed by the national social security system if the care had been provided in its territory and did not exceed the actual cost of the care provided.

Spa tourism with spa medicine aims not only at complementary therapy, but also at the general rejuvenation of body, soul and spirit, prevention, rehabilitation, anti-aging, improving aesthetics and cultivating a positive attitude towards life. The thermal baths include new products and services such as aesthetics, weight loss, sports, healthy eating, thalassotherapy, physiotherapy, relaxation, meditation and is addressed to larger groups of the population (silver and gold tourism) and not only to patients but also to their companions.

In Greece, the problems in the existing legal framework are the insufficient medical services and the insufficient staff in the thermal springs 365 days with places partially upgraded or without infrastructure in several thermal springs while the services provided are without international certification standards. Licenses are required for medical services within tourism infrastructure, creation of a digital map of health services and treatments, creation of cooperative formations between medical centers and hotels, opening of negotiations with foreign funds and concluding contracts for the provision of health care to the insured tourists. all I want is Greece ”, which will ensure a steady flow of health travelers due to uniqueness and exclusion of competition in our country.

It is necessary to create an electronic portal with controlled access by involved private and public sector agencies in Greece and abroad such as EOT, Communities, Embassies for direct electronic information of all agencies, so that there is effective coordination of all efforts to attract health travelers to Greece while, each stakeholder will be informed on policy issues, infrastructure, relevant legislation, or even information on new treatments. The portal will also provide the ability to act as an observatory by registering all complaints,

Konstantinos Kouskoukis
Professor of Dermatology – Lawyer –
President of Elliniki
Academy of Spa –
President of the World Academy of Chinese and Complementary Medicine