{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T15:09:23Z","timestamp":1790003363284,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789948800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ministry of Health of Greece"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Healthcare"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for a substantial share of morbidity and mortality in Greece and create increasing demands on prevention, primary care, and long-term disease management. This study assessed the current national situation in NCD prevention, focusing on disease burden, service organization, financing, screening, surveillance, quality governance, and recent policy reforms. Methods: A structured narrative situational analysis was conducted using peer-reviewed literature, national statistics, administrative and policy documents, and reports from Greek and international organizations. Evidence available up to 10 August 2026 was synthesized across six domains: epidemiological burden, preventive-service delivery, financing, screening and early detection, surveillance and information infrastructure, and quality governance. No meta-analysis was undertaken. Results: In 2019, 41.7% of people aged \u226515 years reported a chronic illness or health problem. In 2023, circulatory diseases accounted for 31.9% of deaths and neoplasms for 23.5%. Cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease account for an estimated 52% of premature deaths before age 75. Preventive expenditure represented 3.1% of health expenditure in 2023, while private payments accounted for 34.2% of total health expenditure in 2024. In 2019, reported screening participation was 66% for breast cancer, 73% for cervical cancer, and 28% for colorectal cancer. Organized prevention has subsequently expanded through the National Public Health Prevention Programme \u201cPROLAMVANO,\u201d with more than 5.2 million citizens participating in preventive examinations by February 2026. However, primary-care capacity, continuity, financial protection, follow-up after abnormal screening results, and longitudinal outcome measurement remain important challenges. Conclusions: Recent reforms indicate an expansion of organized and digitally enabled NCD prevention infrastructure in Greece, although their impact on primary-care integration, continuity of care, and population health outcomes remains uncertain. Future priorities include equitable completion of diagnostic and treatment pathways, sustainable financing, interoperable information systems, and routine measurement of population and patient-reported outcomes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare14183116","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T14:12:09Z","timestamp":1789999929000},"page":"3116","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Preventive Care for Non-Communicable Diseases in Greece: A Situational Analysis of Disease Burden, Service Delivery, Financing, Screening and Quality Governance"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3198-3965","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christos","family":"Triantafyllou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"WHO Athens Quality of Care and Patient Safety Office, 10675 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3974-6371","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anastasia","family":"Ntikoudi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"WHO Athens Quality of Care and Patient Safety Office, 10675 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anastasia","family":"Papachristou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"WHO Athens Quality of Care and Patient Safety Office, 10675 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vion","family":"Psiakis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"WHO Athens Quality of Care and Patient Safety Office, 10675 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valter R.","family":"Fonseca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"WHO Athens Quality of Care and Patient Safety Office, 10675 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8177-4926","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joao","family":"Breda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"WHO Athens Quality of Care and Patient Safety Office, 10675 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"OECD (2026). The Health and Economic Benefits of Tackling Non-Communicable Diseases, OECD Publishing."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"1","article-title":"Greece: Health System Review","volume":"19","author":"Economou","year":"2017","journal-title":"Health Syst. Transit."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"OECD\/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2025). Country Health Profile 2025: Greece, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. State of Health in the EU."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Ministry of Health, Greece (2023). National Action Plan for Public Health 2021\u20132025: \u201cSpiros Doxiadis\u201d."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"National Breast Cancer Population Screening Program (2026). The \u201cFofi Gennimata\u201d Breast Cancer Prevention Programme."},{"key":"ref_6","unstructured":"Ministry of Health, Greece (2025). Launch of the PROLAMVANO Programme for Free Cardiovascular-Disease Screening."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"Ministry of Health, Greece (2026). More Than 5.2 Million Citizens in PROLAMVANO: Adult Obesity and Renal Dysfunction Programmes Underway."},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"Ministry of Health, Greece (2026). PROLAMVANO Continues: New Phase of the Programme from September 2026 to 2030."},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"European Commission (2026). Europe\u2019s Beating Cancer Plan, European Commission."},{"key":"ref_10","unstructured":"European Commission (2023). Healthier Together: EU Non-Communicable Diseases Initiative 2022\u20132027, European Commission."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"European Commission (2025). EU Safe Hearts Plan, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission."},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2023). Implementation Roadmap 2023\u20132030 for the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2013\u20132030, World Health Organization."},{"key":"ref_13","unstructured":"J\u00f8rgensen, T., Rotar, O., Juhl, C.B., and Linneberg, A. (2024). What is the Effectiveness of systematic Population-Level Screening Programmes Forreducing the Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases?, WHO Regional Office for Europe. [2nd ed.]. WHO Health Evidence Network Synthesis Report, 78."},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"OECD\/European Commission (2025). EU Country Cancer Profile: Greece 2025, OECD Publishing."},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Athanasakis, K., Naoum, P., Agorastos, G., and Kyriopoulos, I. (2026). Policy Roadmaps for Acting Early on NCDs: Greece, Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, OECD (2025). Synthesis Report 2025: Health Policy Reform Trends in the EU, OECD Publishing. Available online: https:\/\/www.oecd.org\/en\/publications\/synthesis-report-2025-health-policy-reform-trends-in-the-eu_1f6a8e9a-en.html."},{"key":"ref_17","unstructured":"Hellenic Statistical Authority (2020). Health Survey: 2019, Hellenic Statistical Authority."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Hellenic Statistical Authority (2026). Causes of Death: 2023, Hellenic Statistical Authority."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"OECD (2025). Health at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing."},{"key":"ref_20","unstructured":"Hellenic Statistical Authority (2026). System of Health Accounts (SHA): Year 2024, Hellenic Statistical Authority."},{"key":"ref_21","unstructured":"Eurostat (2016). Health Expenditures by Diseases and Conditions: HEDIC Methodological and Analytical Report, Publications Office of the European Union."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"A457","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jval.2016.09.646","article-title":"Health Expenditure by Disease Age and Gender In Greece","volume":"19","author":"Siskou","year":"2016","journal-title":"Value Health"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Coppini, V., Ferraris, G., Ferrari, M.V., Monzani, D., Dah\u00f2, M., Fragale, E., Grasso, R., Pietrobon, R., Machiavelli, A., and Teixeira, L. (2025). The Beacon Wiki: Mapping oncological information across the European Union. BMC Med. Inform. Decis. Mak., 25.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12911-025-03015-6"},{"key":"ref_24","unstructured":"OECD\/European Commission (2026). Delivering High Value Cancer Care: European Cancer Inequalities Registry Analytical Report, OECD Publishing."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"OECD (2026, August 10). Does Healthcare Deliver? Results from the Patient-Reported Indicator Surveys(PaRIS): Greece. Available online: https:\/\/www.oecd.org\/en\/publications\/does-healthcare-deliver-results-from-the-patient-reported-indicator-surveys-paris_748c8b9a-en\/greece_62bb779b-en.html."}],"container-title":["Healthcare"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9032\/14\/18\/3116\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T14:49:16Z","timestamp":1790002156000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9032\/14\/18\/3116"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]},"references-count":25,"journal-issue":{"issue":"18","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["healthcare14183116"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/healthcare14183116","relation":{},"ISSN":["2227-9032"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2227-9032","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]]}}}