Cancer hospital leads at-home care program
Athens’ Agios Savvas Hospital is spearheading a Health Ministry initiative to provide at-home care for patients with chronic and serious illnesses that require frequent hospital visits. The program is expected to start within the next two months at the specialized cancer facility, before being expanded to eight more hospitals. Apart from cancer, it will benefit patients with multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders, as well as pediatric cases.
“We’re trying to build a model whereby patients will be looked after at home by a team of doctors and nurses at less cost, with greater safety and in a better environment,” ministry official Yiannis Kotsiopoulos said on Thursday.
The 14.7-million-euro program also foresees legislative initiatives, including making it easier for doctors to monitor their patients in their homes and have better oversight of the services being delivered to them.
