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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-09-10
CONTENTS
[01] Piraeus Bank completes voluntary retirement programme
[02] Initiative for free medication to poor, uninsured
[01] Piraeus Bank completes voluntary retirement programme
ANA-MPA -- Piraeus Bank on Tuesday announced the successful completion
of a voluntary exit programme.
The total number of participation in the programme totalled 2,182
employees, accounting for around 12 pct of the Group's workforce in
Greece. The programme's aim was to cover 10 pct of its workforce,
according to the bank's restructuring plan.
[02] Initiative for free medication to poor, uninsured
ANA-MPA -- The health ministry on Tuesday announced an initiative
arising through the collaboration of the Athens Medical Association, the
Association of Pharmaceutical Enterprises in Greece, the Archepiscopate
of Athens and the ministry to create a "pharmaceuticals bank" for the
poor and those lacking health insurance.
Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis said the ministry had received 34,000
applications for the ministry's health aid programme, of which 10,500
have been approved until now. Among others, the programme aims to collect
and distribute free medication that is a few months before its expiry
date. The head of the pharmaceutical enterprises association estimated
that roughly 900,000 such units of medication will be collected each
year, to be distributed after inspection by the National Organisation
for Medicines (EOF).
The minister was closely questioned about generic drugs in view of
an upcoming bill on pharmaceuticals and revealed that there will be a
further price reductions in order to generate incentives for the use of
generic medication, until it accounts for 60 pct of medicines used.
He stressed that generic drugs were checked by EOF before release and
only 4 percent were deemed unsafe, the same percentage as for brand
name drugs. He also revealed that the troika had criticised the low
(25 percent) contribution paid by patients toward the cost of drugs.
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