Plus ça change: health sector reforms in Greece

Changes in the health care sector in Greece since the pathbreaking introduction of the National Health System (NHS) in 1983 have been sluggish. Twenty years after its inception and a series of attempts to reform it, the NHS remains centralized, fragmented in terms of coverage, and quite far removed from its principles of equity and efficiency. Being part of an idiosyncratic welfare state, the health care system is bound to reflect the particularities of Greek society and economy, namely, clientelism, a weak formal-and a thriving informal-economy, the lack of a strong administrative class, a weak labor movement, and strong organized interests. As a result, several ambitious reform plans have failed repeatedly owing to an array of interrelated economic, political, and social factors that channel potential changes toward the trodden path. This constellation creates unfavorable conditions for the introduction and implementation of major reforms.     

Self-inflicted penetrating head injury in a patient with manic-depressive disorder

A 32-year-old Caucasian male with a history of repeated self-injury drilled a hole in his skull using a power tool and subsequently introduced intracerebrally a binding wire from a sketch pad. An emergency craniotomy was performed around the site of cranial injury, and the foreign body was carefully extracted. The wire was located partially in the subdural space and partially in the right hemisphere of the brain. The patient made an excellent recovery and was referred to a psychiatrist for further treatment. This is a rare case of unusual and complex repetitive self-destructive behavior without apparent suicidal intent. The pertinent literature is reviewed and the surgical and psychiatric implications of such injuries are discussed.     

The Relevance of Détente to American Foreign Policy: The Case of Greece, 1967–1979

This article contributes to the historiography of détente from an original viewpoint, namely the relationship between the United States and Greece. It substantiates the argument that the supposed spirit of détente did not help lessen American realpolitik considerations concerning Greece and its surrounding geostrategic region; in fact, the more Cold War antagonisms intensified in the region, the more Greece was locked in the morass of superpower rivalries. This tendency was also, ironically, re-invigorated following Greece’s adoption of its own Ostpolitik largely thanks to the spirit of détente. This paradigm was reflected in the policy of the four successive American administrations between 1967 and 1979 during which détente had become the most popular notion in the Cold War lexicon.