Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis appeared on SKAI’s radio station on Friday morning where he warned pharmacists, who have decided to go on a strike, that they will not hold the government hostage with their demands.
In his interview Mr. Georgiadis defended the changes that were agreed upon with the troika and are to be introduced via a critical bill, which was submitted in Parliament on Thursday and will be voted upon on Sunday. Mr. Georgiadis noted that “the time when a sector could blackmail the rest of society is long gone” and stressed that the pharmacist strike puts public health “at risk”.
The Minister also remarked that the regulations which affect the operation of pharmacies were included in the draft bill without any changes, as the coalition government MPs “had no major objections and realized that the changes were good”.
Pharmacists warn government against measures
The president of Pharmacist Association of Attica K. Lourantos held a press conference where he warned the coalition government against the proposed measures, otherwise “11,000 pharmacies will mark your grave”.
Mr. Lourantos noted that the pharmacists will continue with their strike actions even after the controversial bill is voted in Parliament and stressed that “no law can be implemented without the people’s consent”.
Additionally, the president of the Panhellenic Medical Association Michalis Vlastarakos expressed his solidarity and support to the pharmacists in their struggle.
