Last update:
29-Apr-2026

OBJECTIVE To assess the extent of regional disparities in public primary health care (PHC), focusing on services provided by PHC units owned by regional health authorities (RHAs).

METHOD The research was based on the development of resource allocation indicators that highlighted variations between PHC units and hospitals and among RHAs. All data were freely accessible and related to the number of visits to PHC units and hospitals, key RHA's financial figures, staffing of PHC units, and the catchment population per region.

RESULTS In an environment of declining visits to public PHC, a tendency for PHC facilities to attract more emergencies than in the past was identified. At the same time, in specific geographical areas, hospitals were found to absorb proportionately more cases, that is, about half of the total. Strong regional disparities were identified among RHAs, starting with their size in terms of the number of visits to PHC units. Two RHAs deviated significantly from the others in terms of medical and nursing staff indicators. Service utilization and productivity also differed significantly, creating the basis for variations in efficiency. At the financial level, additional inequalities were identified, with some RHAs accumulating higher-value assets, more regular income, and more government grants than others.

CONCLUSIONS Regional disparities/inequalities in Greek public PHC extend across the entire spectrum of resource allocation. Balance is impossible to achieve through market selfregulation; therefore, the reallocation of resources is assigned to health policy. This process should consider standard indicators of asset and human resource density, service utilization, labor productivity, and efficiency.

Key words: Primary health care, Regional disparities, Regional health authorities, Resource allocation.