Category: Greek healthcare system

Ηλικία, φύλο και ανοσοποιητικό σύστημα τα στοιχεία που αυξάνουν τον κίνδυνο θανάτου από covid19

Cancer Immunotherapy: A Revolution That Continues to Transform Cancer Care

Over the past fifteen years, cancer immunotherapy has transformed the landscape of oncology, offering new hope and treatment possibilities to patients around the world. What began as a promising scientific concept has evolved into one of the most important pillars of modern cancer treatment.

According to the Cancer Immunotherapy Insights & Impact Report 2026 published by the Cancer Research Institute, a total of 156 immunotherapy approvals were granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 2011 and 2025, reflecting the remarkable growth and impact of this field. Many of these therapies are based on immune checkpoint inhibitors, which help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively.

Unlike traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, immunotherapy works by empowering the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. By enhancing natural immune responses, these therapies can help the body identify and destroy cancer cells that might otherwise evade detection. For many patients, immunotherapy has led to longer survival, improved disease control, and a better quality of life.

The year 2025 marked another milestone in the advancement of cancer immunotherapy, with thirteen new FDA approvals. Notably, patients with anal cancer gained access to their first approved immunotherapy option, highlighting the expanding reach of these innovative treatments. New methods of administration, including subcutaneous therapies, are also making treatment more convenient and accessible for patients.

Research in cancer immunotherapy continues to progress at an extraordinary pace. Scientists are developing new strategies to overcome the mechanisms that allow cancer to hide from the immune system, while exploring novel therapeutic targets, combination treatments, and personalized approaches to care. These advances aim to increase the number of patients who can benefit from immunotherapy and improve outcomes across a wider range of cancers.

While challenges remain and not all patients respond equally to treatment, immunotherapy represents one of the most significant breakthroughs in the history of cancer care. Ongoing scientific innovation continues to bring hope that more effective, personalized, and accessible treatments will become available in the years ahead.

At KAPA3, we recognize the importance of raising awareness about advances in cancer treatment and supporting informed decision-making. Knowledge empowers patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, helping them navigate the cancer journey with greater confidence and hope.

Source: https://www.cancerresearch.org/cancer-immunotherapy-report-2026

 

Memorandum of Understanding between the University of West Attica—specifically the Department of Occupational Therapy—and the NGO KAPA3.

On Tuesday, June 9, a meeting was held to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the University of West Attica—specifically the Department of Occupational Therapy—and the NGO KAPA3.

The meeting was attended by the Rector of the University of West Attica, Panagiotis Kaldis Penelope Vlotinou, Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy Evangelia Bista, co-founder of the organization, as well as representatives from both organizations, including the interdisciplinary team of KAPA3: Despoina Chrysostomou, Psychologist Katerina Georgiopoulou, Social Worker Yiannis Kontogiorgis, Psychologist, and Eleftheria-Irini Polyzoti, an intern from the Department of Social and Educational Policy, as well as students from the Occupational Therapy Department.

During the meeting, a constructive discussion took place regarding the prospects for cooperation between the two organizations, with the aim of developing joint actions and initiatives that will contribute to strengthening education, research, social contribution, and the connection between the academic community and society.

In this context,  it was decided in April to jointly organize a major scientific conference, which will focus on an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to health, on combating social inequalities in healthcare, as well as on the management of chronic disease. The aim of this initiative is to raise community awareness, facilitate the exchange of expertise among professionals and scientific bodies, and disseminate scientific knowledge and information to the general public.

Special mention was made of the innovative work of KAPA3, the digital Health Navigator “Myrto,” a modern artificial intelligence tool currently under development and designed to support cancer patients, their families, and their caregivers. “Myrto” will function as a digital assistant (Chatbot) and Health and Rights Navigator, providing immediate, reliable, and personalized information on health, social welfare, rights, benefits, and available support services. The project aims to empower patients, improve their access to information, and reduce inequalities in health and social care through the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence applications. The development of “Myrtos” represents a pioneering application of social artificial intelligence in the field of oncology care in Greece and is part of KAPA3’s strategy to promote innovation, accessibility, and the active participation of patients in managing their own health.

The meeting concluded in a particularly positive atmosphere of mutual appreciation and recognition. In this context, the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of West Attica made a symbolic gesture toward the representative of KAPA3, Evangelia Bista, presenting her with a commemorative gift as a token of appreciation for her many years of valuable social contribution in the field of support for cancer patients. At the same time, as a gesture of hospitality and appreciation, the team was offered a specially produced wine, which is an original creation of the University of West Attica.

 

 

Kapa3 Cancer Patient Support Center and the USTEP Institute announce the launch of their strategic partnership

The Kapa3 Cancer Patient Support Center and the USTEP Institute announce the launch of their strategic partnership, aimed at providing meaningful support to cancer patients and promoting equal opportunities in scientific, social, and educational levels.

The partnership was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed in Athens on May 26, 2026, by Evangelia Bista, Co-founder and Head of Development and Operations at Kapa3, and Vasileios Stavrou, Co-founder and Scientific Director of the USTEP Institute.

As part of the collaboration, the two organizations will develop joint initiatives that include:

Organizing workshops and conferences focused on patient education, improving the quality of care, and strengthening the relationship of trust between patients and healthcare professionals.

The implementation of information and awareness campaigns on prevention, symptom management, and combating myths and social stigma surrounding cancer.

Collaboration on national and European programs aimed at developing innovative initiatives and actions with a social impact.

Conducting joint research and disseminating the results at the national and European levels.

This partnership reaffirms the two organizations’ commitment to actively contribute to the creation of a more supportive and inclusive environment for people living with cancer, by enhancing access to knowledge, information, and social empowerment.

The Memorandum of Cooperation is valid for one year, with the option to renew upon mutual written agreement by both parties.

 

Confirmation of AMKA for Child and Parent

A major institutional development is set to simplify the lives of cancer patients and their families by eliminating unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles. The new ministerial decision introduces digital proof of kinship for the dispensing of High-Cost Medications (FCM). The Kapa3 team presents a detailed overview of all the changes affecting insured individuals’ daily access to their essential treatments.

A Digital Leap Toward Equal Access to Care

The new decision provides for the launch of the specialized online service “AMKA Verification for Child-Parent.” This service is directly integrated into the “PLATFORM FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF PHARMACY-ISSUE MEDICATIONS BY PRIVATE PHARMACIES/EOPYY PHARMACIES” information system.

For the people Kapa3 serves every day, this development translates into an immediate reduction in bureaucracy and hassle. From now on, the verification of family relationships will be performed automatically, ensuring that vulnerable groups and their caregivers do not waste valuable time waiting for approval of their necessary treatment regimens.

 This upgrade is a matter of respect and dignity for the patient who is fighting their own battle. At Kapa3, we continue to stand by every cancer patient and their family, ensuring that information and care reach those who truly need them—quickly and easily. Because when it comes to health, every minute we gain is precious.

What’s Changing in Patients’ Daily Lives

Until now, in order to obtain approval for the dispensing or delivery of an expensive medication for a child or dependent, it was often necessary to submit additional documents (such as family status certificates) or in-person verification of the parent-child relationship. 

What sets Decision 3 of this Government Gazette apart is the following:

Automatic Data Matching: It digitally connects information systems in real time. The EOPYY platform now automatically “reads” the relationship between a parent’s and child’s AMKA numbers through the Interoperability Center.

Immediate Approval of Requests: The parent or close relative logs into the digital “FYK DISPENSATION PLATFORM” using their own credentials and can submit the request immediately, without the process being held up due to a lack of the child’s identification.

Flexibility in Pickup: It facilitates faster scheduling of appointments at EOPYY pharmacies or pickup from private pharmacies, dramatically reducing wait times for vulnerable patients

 

Reducing bureaucracy is not merely a digital upgrade; it is a matter of respect and dignity for the patient who is fighting their own battle. At Kapa3, we continue to stand by every cancer patient and their family, ensuring that information and care reach those who truly need them—quickly and easily. Because when it comes to health, every minute we save is

 

Disability Card: Everything KAPA3 beneficiaries need to know about its use and their rights

The Cancer Patient Guidance Center (KAPA3) informs beneficiaries and their caregivers about Clarification Circular No. 12757 issued by the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family. This circular clarifies the framework for the operation, recognition, and mandatory acceptance of the Disability Card by all relevant agencies.

The Disability Card is the official government document that verifies the holder’s identity and status as a person with a disability. The primary purpose of issuing the card is to protect sensitive personal data, as it does not contain any information regarding the nature of the condition or disability.

Below is a detailed summary of all provisions under the law:

  1. Obligations of Entities and Rights to Service

Mandatory Acceptance: The Card must be accepted by all public and private sector entities, as well as by individuals and legal entities 

Priority Service: All entities are required to give priority service to Cardholders in procedures requiring in-person presence and to provide accessibility accommodations.

  1. The Three Forms of the Card (Equal Evidential Value)

Customer service staff are required to accept the Disability Card in whichever of the following forms the citizen chooses.

Printed form: A document with a digital signature from the online portal karta.epan.gov.gr.

Digital form: Via the Gov.gr Wallet app on a mobile device.

Plastic card: A printed form with a standardized design.

  1. Disability Levels and Right to an Attendant

The Card indicates the total disability percentage across three levels, in order to grant the corresponding rights:

Level I: Disability of 50%–66%.

Level II: Disability of 67%–79%.

Level III: Disability of 80% or higher.

“S” Marking (Right to a Companion): If the Card bears the “S” marking, all benefits, rights, and accommodations provided to the cardholder automatically extend to their companion during the period of accompaniment.

  1. What is the status of existing disability certificates?

Please note that disability certificates issued by the competent health committees (KEPAs, ASYE, etc.) remain valid as usual. Citizens who present these certificates instead of the Disability Card will be served as usual in accordance with the provisions applicable to each benefit.

The KAPA3 team stands firmly by patients and caregivers to provide guidance and ensure their rights are protected. For any information or support regarding the use of the Disability Card, please contact us.

 

Mapping the efficiency of cancer care in Greece: findings from the All.Can Greece report

Cancer care efficiency in Greece remains one of the most complex and pressing challenges for the Greek health system — not only in terms of its clinical burden, but also in how care is organized around the patient.

With approximately 63,000 new cancer cases diagnosed annually and more than 32,000 cancer-related deaths each year, Greece faces a steadily increasing oncological burden. Projections suggest that cancer incidence will rise by around 23% by 2040, further intensifying pressure on health services.

Against this backdrop, All.Can Greece has published a landmark report titled “Mapping the Efficiency of Cancer Care in Greece”, based on the pilot implementation of the All.Can Action Guide for Efficient Cancer Care.

Rather than simply describing the current situation, the report aims to measure it — identifying where efficiency is lost across the cancer care pathway and where targeted reforms could make the greatest impact.

Cancer care efficiency in Greece: delays in care delivery

One of the most critical findings of the report relates to delays in the patient journey.

Despite the existence of modern infrastructure and highly specialized oncology centres, significant delays persist between initial suspicion, diagnosis, and the start of treatment.

These delays are not the result of a single bottleneck, but of systemic fragmentation:

  • fragmented referral pathways,
  • limited coordination between levels of care,
  • and the absence of standardized clinical protocols.

A key structural weakness is the lack of systematic monitoring of waiting times and time-to-treatment indicators. As a result, inefficiencies remain partially invisible to the system itself, limiting the ability to implement targeted improvements.

Fragmentation across the care continuum

The report highlights a broader issue of fragmentation in cancer care delivery.

The patient journey from primary care to specialist oncology services is often not clearly structured or consistently coordinated. Referral pathways depend heavily on individual practice rather than standardized national protocols.

A major gap is the absence of structured patient navigation services. In practice, this means that patients and families are often left to navigate a complex system on their own, increasing delays and adding unnecessary psychological burden.

At the same time, multidisciplinary tumor boards represent a positive development, supporting collaborative clinical decision-making across specialties. However, systematic monitoring of their performance remains limited.

The development of Comprehensive Cancer Centers is identified as a promising step forward, although further regulatory strengthening and clearer governance structures are still needed to maximize their impact.

Patient-centered care: progress with remaining gaps

Greece has made notable progress in collecting Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs), reflecting a growing commitment to integrating patient perspectives into care delivery.

However, patients’ access to their own clinical data remains limited, restricting their ability to actively participate in decision-making processes.

In addition, patient education and shared decision-making are not yet systematically embedded across the health system.

Another important gap concerns survivorship care. As cancer survival rates improve, the lack of structured long-term follow-up pathways leaves many patients without continuous support after active treatment ends.

Key policy directions

The report outlines several strategic priorities for improving cancer care efficiency in Greece:

  • Development of a comprehensive national cancer strategy with clear targets and governance mechanisms
  • Strengthening coordination across all levels of care
  • Implementation of standardized clinical pathways with defined time-to-treatment and quality indicators
  • Investment in oncology workforce capacity, particularly in shortage specialties
  • Establishment of structured patient navigation programmes
  • Acceleration of Comprehensive Cancer Center development
  • Systematic use of health data for monitoring performance and accountability
  • Greater patient engagement through PROMs, PREMs, and shared decision-making

Conclusion: a system with strong foundations but limited integration

Greece has many of the essential building blocks for a high-performing cancer care system — including infrastructure, clinical expertise, and emerging digital health capabilities.

However, the key challenge lies not in the existence of these components, but in their integration.

The All.Can Greece report highlights a system that is still operating in silos: strong individual elements that do not yet function as a fully connected care pathway.

In oncology, this lack of integration is not merely an organizational issue. It directly affects timeliness, patient experience, and ultimately outcomes.

The opportunity now lies in moving from fragmented capacity to coordinated care — where patients no longer have to bridge the gaps between system components themselves.

Source: Mapping-the-Efficiency-of-Cancer-Care-in-Greece-FINAL

Text/adaptation: Ifiyenia Anastasiou for Kapa3

Additional Rebate on High-Cost Medicines for 2025: What the New Decision Foresees

 

 

 

Expansion of High-Cost Medicines Available Through EOPYY Private Pharmacies – What Changes for Patients

The Hellenic National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (EOPYY) is expanding the list of new high-cost medicines available through private EOPYY pharmacies, facilitating patient access to high-cost treatments. The recent decision was published in the Government Gazette.

This development represents another step toward simplifying patient access to high-cost therapies, reducing the need for physical visits to EOPYY pharmacies.

The new regulation includes the addition of further medicines, broadening the scope of the measure. Among these are treatments for multiple sclerosis, such as the active substance ocrelizumab, as well as anticancer agents like imatinib and capecitabine, widely used in oncology. This expansion is expected to significantly benefit more patients, who until now had to be served through specific distribution points, often facing longer waiting times. Patients will gain convenience and improved continuity of care, as access to treatments becomes faster and more reliable.

The option to collect medicines from private EOPYY pharmacies is expected to substantially improve patients’ daily lives, reducing hassle and enhancing accessibility, especially for those with chronic or serious conditions. This change is also part of the broader digital transformation of health services, aiming for a more flexible and patient-centered system. Healthcare providers will be able to monitor medicine distribution more efficiently, ensuring timely support and guidance for patients throughout their treatment.

According to the Government Gazette:

The start date of the medicine distribution process, with supply by EOPYY and final delivery at the private pharmacy specified in ministerial decision EΑLE/GΠ/oικ.51724/19-11-2025, as listed in the table below, is set as the date when EOPYY’s upgraded electronic platform (fyk.eopyy.gov.gr) becomes fully operational for the submission of patient requests under the new procedure defined in the above ministerial decision.

You can read the Government Gazette here (greek text)

Read our previous articles on the HCM procedure here and here

Text/Adaptation: Ifiyenia Anastasiou for Kapa3

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month – March

March is dedicated to raising awareness and promoting prevention of colorectal cancer, one of the most common but also highly treatable cancers when detected early. It is also referred to as colorectal carcinoma.

According to a European Commission report published in March 2021, colorectal cancer accounted for 12.7% of all new cancer diagnoses and 12.4% of all cancer-related deaths in the EU-27 countries in 2020. By 2045, it is estimated that 3.29 million new cases will be diagnosed worldwide, leading to 1.66 million deaths.

The disease occurs more frequently in men than in women, with age being a significant factor. Approximately 90% of people diagnosed with colorectal cancer worldwide are over 50 years old.

Prevention and early detection save lives.

Regular screenings, such as colonoscopy, can detect early lesions or precancerous changes before they develop into serious disease. During a colonoscopy, tissue samples (biopsies) can be taken for histological examination if a suspicious lesion is found, and polyps can be removed to prevent progression to cancer.

Treatment options depend on the stage of the disease, the tumor’s molecular characteristics, and the patient’s overall health. Standard therapies include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy—which plays a key role in rectal cancer—as well as targeted therapies and immunotherapies guided by specific molecular biomarkers.

Through the National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program, the goal is to detect precancerous lesions or the disease itself early, allowing prompt intervention and treatment. Adenomatous polyps or early-stage neoplasms have a 100% cure rate when managed at an early stage, highlighting the critical importance of early detection.

For more information, visit the National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program website: https://colon.gov.gr

For any questions, you can contact the service department at tel. 11401 or via email: prolipsis-helpdesk@idika.gr.

Sources: