ATHENS – Unless the New Democracy government provides another extension, thousands of refugees and migrants in Greece will find themselves without any health care starting March 1.

Dr. Andreas Xanthos, a former health minister for the previous Radical Left SYRIZA government, urged the government to keep providing the benefits for those seeking sanctuary in Greece.

He noted that a European Union-backed program securing medical supervision and treatment via the National Organization for Public Health (EODY) at migrant camps and other facilities will expire, said Kathimerini.

“February 28, 2022, is the final date of expiry of EODY’s Philos program, which has, since 2017, with backing from the European Commission, provided comprehensive healthcare to the migrant community,” Xanthos said.

“The two-month extension granted by the government after December 31 has not been utilized in order to ensure the renewal of staff contracts and the sustainable funding of a program that has been positively evaluated and is known to have a social impact,” he added.

If the program does end, it will also leave 670 medical professionals without a job there, the report added.