Mapping Facilities, Equipment and Trained Personnel of Radiotherapy in Greece

OBJECTIVES: Radiotherapy demonstrates an important role in achieving high quality cancer treatment, either as monotherapy or in an adjuvant or neoadjuvant role. The present study provides a detailed and transparent mapping of the radiotherapy sector in Greece, both in terms of facilities and radiotherapy equipment, as well as in terms of staffing of the existing departments.

METHODS: Updated data referring to the facilities, trained personnel and equipment of Radiotherapy in Greece were drawn from the National Organization for the Provision of Health Services (EOPYY), the Oncology Centres, from radiation oncologists and other experts in the field, were obtained on May 2023.

RESULTS: According to the data provided to us, there are 57 radiotherapy units in operation in Greece, of which 32 units belong to the public sector and 25 to the private sector and are installed in 30 public and private hospitals. Regarding the human resources of the Radiotherapy Departments, 114 doctors, 63 Radiophysicists and 144 Technologists are employed.

CONCLUSIONS: With a total of 57 radiotherapy machines available in the country, and a ratio of 0.54376 units per 100,000 inhabitants, Greece does not meet the recent recommendations of COCIR "golden rule" - target of 7 machines per million inhabitants. In terms of staffing and staff mix, the level is well below European standards and guidelines for both the private and public sectors. Understaffing is one of the reasons that while in the rest of Europe and the US radiotherapy is the main treatment for more than 60% of cancer patients, this percentage in Greece is estimated to be around 30%. As a result, the health care system in Greece is forced to pay for more expensive treatments (e.g. surgery and extensive chemotherapy), which in many cases are less effective.