“The 2024 budget is one more unfair and discriminatory ND’s budget, completely focused on the market and defiantly indifferent to the major social problems”, Meropi Tzoufi emphasized in the Parliament. As he said, “the government is investing in a twisted growth modelperpetuating wage fixation, inflationary crisis, housing impasse, poverty level and exclusions from basic social goods”.
The member of parliament from Ioannina pointed out that, despite any increase in expenses, the funding remains stagnant or declining as a percentage of GDP for critical areas such as public education and health. He also argued that, taking into account inflation and price increases, the budget projections for 2024 are not capable of reversing the trajectory of shrinking and degrading the Welfare State.
For public health
Regarding public health, the New Left MP presented data from the European Commission, according to which Greece spends just 7.8% of GDP for the health. At the same time, the European average is 10%. He also referred to the country’s negative lead in rate of private spendingwith public expenditure covering only 60% of needs and citizens completing the remaining 40% from family budgets.
In this context, he pointed out that insufficient funding and constantly decreasing staff create conditions for dissolution, with the government pushing citizens to private health and investing in the “passive privatization” of the NHS. As he noted, “Chemotherapy treatments are being postponed due to cost, surgery lists have become almost inactive, while clinics in regional hospitals are underperforming or suspended.” In addition, the introductory report of the budget “confesses” that the departures of staff for the they will exceed 8,100without the government planning permanent recruitments.
For public education
The MP from Ioannina of the New Left argued that “the public education system is being tested by the lack of resources and personnel, while despite the increase in funding, the allocation it’s not about her to deal with the critical operational problems”. The government continues them mergers schools, the payroll fixation of teachers and maintains the enormous problems in Special Education. Educational outcomes are disappointing, even when measured by government tools and PISA competitions. THE school violence and bullying phenomena increase, Vocational Education and Training have been delivered to business requirements.
Correspondingly in higher education, where the financial and executive suffocation of public HEIs, the abolition of new departments and the merger of departments that operate in Crete, Macedonia and Thrace, the poor student care, the building problems, the universal imposition of tuition fees in graduate schools. “That’s why colleges they continue their business undisturbed, after they got what they asked for from the government of Mr. Mitsotakis” he noted characteristically, while he estimated that “the drama of public education is going to culminate with the establishment private universities».
Responding to the Minister of Education Kyriakos Pierrakakis, he emphasized that its a shame an attempt should be made to identify all those who defend the public universities with the junta of colonels. Especially “when such arguments come from a member of the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis who has sheltered the political children of Papadopoulos and EPEN”. In this context, he asked the minister to re-read the 1975 Constitution that established Article 16 and to see the Prime Minister’s signature Konstantinos Karamanlis.
In conclusion, the MP from Ioannina argued that the government’s budget for 2024 it is voted against by society itself. It does not respond to its needs, does not give perspective to the economy and development, does not strengthen the social state and the new generation, does not respect the environment.
