Cardiovascular disease risk status during the years of the financial crisis: The Greek case

Financial crisis started in the late 2000s in the US, Europe, and several other countries worldwide, also known as the “global financial crisis,” has created conditions that have affected various aspects of the societies. This crisis is considered by many economists as the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Greece is one of the countries that have been most severely affected by this economic downturn. The Greek economy suffered the longest recession of any advanced capitalist economy to date. The Greek financial crisis led to a series of reforms and austerity measures that led to impoverishment and loss of income and property. A global financial crisis like this one has also significant implications for the health systems and the spending plans of national governments. It is expected that the poor and vulnerable were the first to suffer. However, and because of the difficulty in obtaining accurate data about what has happened with regard to the health status in Greece during this period, any conclusions are difficult to be made. Many reports, mainly by journalists, described the health status as a “Greek tragedy,” with an increasing unmet need for health care, increasing suicides, etc. However, others dismissed these concerns, arguing that “there is no evidence that it has affected health” or that the budget cuts could be considered as “a positive result of improvements in financial health management”.1, 2