Lancet. Health effects of financial crisis: omens of a Greek tragedy

[sharon sanders]

Re: Lancet. Health effects of financial crisis: omens of a Greek tragedy

and..

There are signs that health outcomes have worsened, especially in vulnerable groups. We noted a significant rise in the prevalence of people reporting that their health was ?bad? or ?very bad? (1?14, 1?02?1?28; figure).

Suicides rose by 17% in 2009 from 2007 and unofficial 2010 data quoted in parliament mention a 25% rise compared with 2009.12 The Minister of Health reported a 40% rise in the first half of 2011 compared with the same period in 2010.13 The national suicide helpline reported that 25% of callers faced financial difficulties in 201014 and reports in the media indicate that the inability to repay high levels of personal debt might be a key factor in the increase in suicides.15

Violence has also risen, and homicide and theft rates nearly doubled between 2007 and 2009.16?18 The number of people able to obtain sickness benefits declined (0?61, 0?38?0?98) between 2007 and 2009, probably owing to budget cuts, and further reductions to access and the level of benefits are to be expected once austerity measures are fully implemented (webappendix p 5).6

[Giuseppe]

[Source: The Lancet, full text: (LINK). Extract, edited.]

The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 10 October 2011
doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61556-0


Health effects of financial crisis: omens of a Greek tragedy

Original Text

Alexander Kentikelenis, Marina Karanikolos, Irene Papanicolas, Sanjay Basu, Martin McKee, David Stuckler



Greece has been affected more by the financial turmoil beginning in 2007 than any other European country. 15 years of consecutive growth in the Greek economy have reversed. In adults, unemployment has risen from 6?6% in May, 2008, to 16?6% in May, 2011 (youth unemployment rose from 18?6% to 40?1%), as debt grew between 2007 and 2010 from 105?4% to 142?8% of gross domestic product (GDP; ?239?4 billion to ?328?6 billion) compared with the average change in the EU-15 (the 15 countries that were EU members before May 1, 2004) from 66?2% to 85?1% of GDP in this same period (?6?0 trillion to ?7?8 trillion). Greece's options were limited, since its Government ruled out leaving the Euro, precluding them from one of the most common solutions in such circumstances: devaluation. To finance its debts, Greece had to borrow ?110 billion from the International Monetary Fund and Eurozone partners, under strict conditions that included drastic curtailing of government spending. Whereas other countries in Europe (eg, France, Germany) now show signs of economic recovery, the crisis continues to evolve in Greece; industrial production fell by 8% in 2010.


Richard Horton has asked whether anyone is looking at the effect of the economic crisis on health and health care in Greece, in light of the adverse health effects of previous recessions. Here, we describe changes in health and health care in Greece on the basis of our analysis of data from the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, which provide comparable cross-sectional and longitudinal information on social and economic characteristics and living conditions throughout the EU.


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