Key insights from HDHC’s panel on Teleconsultation in Greece

Teleconsultation as a Strategic Pillar for Public Health

Ms. Christina-Maria Kravvari, Secretary General for Public Health at the Ministry of Health stated that:

“Teleconsultation is not just another digital application in the health sector; it is a strategic pillar of a modern, anthropocentric and resilient care system. It acts as a catalyst for equal access to health services, reducing longitudinal geographical and social inequalities and effectively bridging the gap between the center and the periphery. Through the rational use of digital technology, it brings medical knowledge and support closer to the citizens in terms of safety, quality and immediacy.

In a country with a strong insularity and diversity of geographical conditions, teleconsultation becomes a public policy tool with a multiplier value: it enhances the institutional resilience of the health system, optimizes resource management and ensures the universality of care regardless of place of residence, socio-economic position or conjuncture. It’s not just technological evolution; it’s transition to a new social health contract, where access turns from a privilege into a guaranteed right!”

Greece at a Critical Juncture for Telemedicine

Dr. George E. Dafoulas, Digital Health Advisor at the Ministry of Digital Governance, emphasized that through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), Greece is implementing a significant leap in the digital transformation of the healthcare sector. Infrastructure projects such as the expansion of the Greek National Telemedicine Network (EDIT) nationwide, telemedicine services provided by the Mobile Health Units (KOMY), and the “Hospital Care at Home – NOSPI” program of ODIPY (the Hellenic Agency for Quality Assurance in Health S.A.) will offer unprecedented opportunities for the development of teleconsultation ser

vices in Greece. With appropriate organizational changes within the National Health System (ESY) and the adoption of a relevant regulatory framework, these infrastructures can be fully leveraged.

Certification, Quality Standards, and Transparency

Ms. Dimitra Pappa, CEO and President of the National Center for Health Technology Assessment and Quality (EKAPTY), stressed that EKAPTY S.A., as the only Greek Notified Body designation forthcoming, will ensure the compliance of medical devices and Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) with MDR, by assessing the safety and performance of telemonitoring systems and clinical data management solutions.

Furthermore, EKAPTY S.A. provides certification in accordance with ISO 13485 and specialized training in collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and other University Institutions, aiming at the harmonization and effective integration of digital health technologies, while simultaneously planning the advancement of certification schemes for Teleconsultation and Telemedicine Systems, which constitute the future of Medicine worldwide.

Based on the principles of ethical conduct in the provision of healthcare services, certification at every stage of this modern transition becomes essential.

Scientific societies evaluate and synthesize medical data by developing evidence-based clinical guidelines, while suppliers contribute real-world data and technological infrastructure. Their collaboration reduces clinical uncertainty and enhances the quality of care through documented and validated practices.

EKAPTY S.A. operates as the connecting link between science and health policy, assessing and certifying medical devices in accordance with international standards. It translates technical specifications into structured recommendations and safeguards Public Health through its supervisory role, including the authority to withdraw certificates when necessary.

In conclusion, the institutional safeguarding of innovation in healthcare requires synergies, transparency, and a clear regulatory framework. EKAPTY S.A., by consistently fulfilling its role, ensures that technological progress advances in parallel with safety and quality. With a steadfast commitment to Public Health to human beings and to institutional credibility, the Center substantially contributes to shaping a modern, reliable and sustainable digital health system for the benefit of patient, potential patient and society.

Addressing Inequalities and Strengthening Patient Treatment Adherence

Ms. Natalia Toumpanaki, Director of the Greek Patients’ Association, stated:

“The absence of reimbursement for telemedicine services creates specific and measurable impact on patients. Access to technologies that are already available is limited, inequalities are reinforced as usage depends on financial capacity, and the implementation of care models that can reduce travel and practical burdens is delayed.

The lack of a reimbursement system also has a systemic consequence: remote monitoring tools struggle to be integrated into treatment protocols and clinical guidelines. Institutional and financial formalization is a key prerequisite for systematic integration into clinical practice.

From the patients’ perspective, central priorities remain linking reimbursement to quality, ensuring equitable access, strengthening digital literacy, and co-designing applications with end users. Digital health now affects the core of care delivery. Institutional consistency, evidence, and quality are essential prerequisites for the sustainable development of services.”

Creating an Enabling Framework for Innovation

The Executive Director of SEIV—the Hellenic Association of Health – Research & Biotechnology Industry—Mr. Thanasis Akalestos, stated that:

“The Greek market is already mature for remote monitoring: technologies are there, they are certified and they are in place. The gap is not technological but regulatory and financial. Without a clear and technologically neutral compensation framework, the market operates in a gray area, with ambiguity, unequal access and investment uncertainty. Today medical devices are moving from the concept of ‘procurement’ to the concept of ‘care infrastructure’; they are not just devices, but platforms that generate data, support clinical decisions and allow new models of chronic patient management. Telemonitoring is the most prominent example, where value is not found in hardware and software but in the organized care system that frames it. Suppliers invest in infrastructure, education, compliance, cybersecurity and ongoing technical support, multiannual commitments requiring predictability. Fixed rules reduce regulatory risk, enhance competition and create space for smaller innovative companies, i.e. create a quality market.”

“SEIV, he added, in partnership with the HDHC and the Greek Patients’ Association, submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Health and EOPYY for the issuance of a JMD and the establishment of a Working Group, with clear categorization of technologies, transparent inclusion criteria, mandatory interoperability and connection of compensation with HTA and measurable clinical results. European experience shows that reimbursement of the medical act is required, integration in care paths and pilot application with real-world data. This partnership strengthens a coordinated institutional dialog, so that telemonitoring becomes an organized pillar of sustainable and developmental transformation of the national health system.”

Mr. Filippos Sotiriadis, CEO of Telematic Medical Applications (TMA), also participated in the discussion.

A Structured Path Forward

The panel moderator, Mr. Dimitrios Katehakis, Director of the Hellenic Digital Health Cluster and Head of the Center for eHealth Applications and Services (CeHA), Institute of Computer Science, Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), noted that there was broad consensus that teleconsultation represents a transformative opportunity for the Greek health system, provided that the following conditions are met:

• a coherent regulatory and reimbursement framework,
• interoperability with national digital health infrastructures,
• certification and quality assurance mechanisms,
• digital literacy and training,
• transparent and ethical management of health data,
• coordinated public–private sector collaboration.

As Greece advances digital reforms, the shared belief was that teleconsultation must move from pilot projects to structured, scalable, and sustainable integration into the National Health System (ESY).