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Clockwise from left: Protestors trying to flee from tear gas; Greeks from all
walks of life gather in Athens' Syntagma Square; protestors strap on gas
masks and goggles as riot police flood the area with tear gas.
wage was reduced from €700 to €550 ($1,015 to $797) per month,
and €400 ($580) per month for youth under 25 years old. Registered nurses' pay has been cut from €1060 Euro per month to €850
(from $1,416 to $1,136). In addition, 80,000 public-sector jobs were
axed and the sales tax was raised from 19 to 23 percent. Since May
2010, unemployment has risen 40 percent, bringing the national
DECEMBER 2011
jobless rate in September 2011 to 18.4 percent for adults and 46.4
percent for youth.
In the area of healthcare, the latest round of austerity measures
will slash the Greek National Health Service (NHS) budget by 40
percent. Established in 1983, the NHS provides free healthcare for
Greek residents, running a national network of hospitals, clinics, and
other primary care health centers. However, public healthcare in
Greece is not universal. Only citizens and residents in full-time
employment qualify for entirely free healthcare; those without public
health insurance must opt for private insurance, or pay a nominal fee
W W W. N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G
N AT I O N A L N U R S E
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