Orthopaedic service of the Hellenic Police: crime, wounds and overuse injuries

Abstract

The Armed Forces Health Service in Greece is a special and autonomous health institution, distinct from the rest of the national health systems, with the mission of providing complete and uninterrupted health coverage to military personnel and their families. At the same time, it covers part of the needs of the Security Forces’ personnel.
On the other hand, the health agency of the Security Forces is insured by EOPYY and the health department of the Security Forces has a role of health and administrative support. However, there is a differentiation in the health support of the Fire and Coast Guard, where they have been integrated into the two major military hospitals, those of the Air Force (251 Hellenic Air Force General Hospital) and the Navy (Athens Naval Hospital) respectively, and into that of the Hellenic Police, which has remained autonomous, providing primary health care, while tertiary coverage is also provided through military hospitals. This means that the Hellenic Police Health Service has its own structure and headquarters, while the active beneficiaries of the corps carry out the procedures for checking, sick, leave or fitness, in the Corps’ structures. Despite the fact that the health care provider for the security forces is insured by EOPYY, meaning they can be treated in any public structure, a large number of patients are treated by the military hospitals of the three branches of the armed forces by choice for reasons of familiarity with the Corps, thus increasing their burden.