Restart of the mammogram programme
The Phi Gennimata programme restarts on 13 October 2026 with the first SMS messages to eligible beneficiaries for free mammograms, Deputy Health Minister Marios Themistokleous announced on ACTION24. NewsIT reports that the programme is now funded from Greek state budget funds rather than the Recovery Fund, which financed the first phase. According to NewsIT, the texts were to be sent gradually from the morning of Tuesday, 13 October, and the ministry said there is no priority list determining which women are contacted first.
- First SMS invitations for free mammograms sent to eligible women
- Almost all ProLambano programmes expected to be reactivated
Who will receive a text
Women aged 45 to 74 who live in Greece and hold an AMKA social security number are eligible, whether insured or uninsured, according to NewsIT. Eligible women must not have had a mammogram in the previous year and must not have had breast cancer in the last five years. Themistokleous said women who had a mammogram recently will not receive a new message, because the interval required before the examination is repeated has not passed. Women without an active electronic prescription can take part through the proliptikes.gov.gr platform using their AMKA.
What the programme covers
The covered examinations are digital mammography for all beneficiaries, and an ultrasound where a finding or further investigation is needed. NewsIT reports that the programme also covers a breast ultrasound and a clinical examination by a doctor if findings require follow-up, at no cost. Appointments are described as independent and without delays, and Mobile Health Units (KOMY) will assist women in remote areas.
Early diagnosis and the government message
Themistokleous said breast cancer affects one in eight women and that, with early diagnosis, the cure rate exceeds 95%. He added:
If we find something suspicious, we speak immediately with our doctor. We do not skip the mammogram. Thanks to mammography, human lives are saved.
Eirini Agapidaki, the alternate Health Minister, spoke about the restart on the Live News programme hosted by Nikos Evangelatos. She said more than half a million Greek women and men have been identified early with symptoms or findings.
Wider ProLambano restart and social media
By the end of October, almost all ProLambano programmes are expected to be reactivated, including those for cardiovascular diseases, Themistokleous said. He also addressed a proposed restriction on social media use by children under 15. He said existing digital tools would be used together with the platforms, and that the government is waiting for a European directive that would oblige platforms not to bombard young people with content designed to keep them on social media. Themistokleous said Greece has taken a leading role in an initiative of this kind at European level.