Written by Konstantinos Tachtsidis

For thousands of people – and families – living with ADHD , finding their medication has gone from a basic necessity to a daily struggle for survival.
In the Greece of “development” and surpluses, access to medicines seems like a privilege for a few.

For those living with ADHD —and for any patient who “dare” to have needs outside the system’s specifications—the state throws up its hands, leaving them without treatment, without support, without rights.
Medicine shortages are not a natural phenomenon. They are the most cynical symptom of a market and a policy that puts profit above human dignity.

Greece is currently experiencing a silent crisis: a complete shortage of essential ADHD medications (Concerta, Ritalin). And this shortage is not just a “supply problem” — it is a blatant violation of human rights .

For those living with ADHD —whether as individuals or as parents of children—the inability to access treatment for this challenge does not simply mean “a difficult daily life.”
It means exclusion from education, serious professional problems, deterioration of mental health and ultimately loss of dignity.

And yet, the state seems to be watching uncomfortably.
Responsibility is not abstract: Ministry of Health , EOF , EOPYY , IFET .
All relevant bodies must explain why the lives of thousands of citizens with ADHD are “second-rate” lives .

Why are there no cures? The real reasons that are not told

Behind the embellished excuses (“international shortages”, “supply chain problems”, “wars”) lie deeper, much more real causes :

🔴 Parallel exports for profit:
Drug warehouses and middlemen collect medicines from the Greek market and export them to countries where they are sold at exorbitant prices. The medicines are legally (or even illegally) exported abroad, leaving the shelves of Greek pharmacies empty. And all this because, quite simply, they are paid more expensively abroad.

🔴 Limited availability from multinationals:
Large pharmaceutical companies consider Greece a small and “unprofitable” market due to low prices. They import small quantities — and if they run out, they are not interested in replenishing them.

🔴 Artificial ellipses for blackmail:
There are documented cases where companies intentionally leave the market without a product, in order to pressure the State to approve higher compensation prices. Blackmail becomes a “negotiation” tool.

🔴 Insufficient supervision and opacity:
Government agencies are either slow to react or unable to effectively control drug warehouses and distributors. Many refuse to declare their total stockpiles or hide stocks for parallel exports.

🔴 Financial incentives over health:
The state, instead of making health a priority, tolerates the “sell-out” of medicines in order to show better figures in foreign trade and GDP.

🔴 International pressures:
Increased global demand (especially for ADHD drugs after the pandemic) and raw material production problems exacerbate the phenomenon — but the bottom line is that Greece is paying a heavier price because it is simply not an “attractive market” for multinationals.

ADHD in Greece: When the state punishes diversity

For people with ADHD , the situation is tragic.
In Greece, there are only two approved medications for ADHD — and when they are missing, there is no alternative . There are no other formulations, there are no generics, there is no “plan B.”
A child or adult (like the undersigned) who needs Concerta or Ritalin to attend class at school, do homework, concentrate at work, and develop his or her skills is left unprotected — because of incompetence and indifference.

And it’s not the first time.
ADHD , like any other neurodevelopmental or learning challenge, remains on the margins of public debate, precisely because it is not politically “convenient” .

No more silence. No more patience.

Silence is not an option.
Passive waiting is not a solution.
The more invisible we remain, the more invisible our rights will become.

Today, we are starting dynamically and are being heard en masse :
If you are a person facing a similar problem:

👉 Send the letter of protest to the competent bodies.
👉 Share your experience publicly.
👉 Claim medicines. Claim dignity.
👉 Become part of the voice they won’t be able to ignore.

Because treatment is not a privilege. It is a right.

Send the letter here:

• EOF : ddimas@eof.gr , thkousteni@eof.gr
• IFET : info@ifet.gr , pharmacon1@ifet.gr , import@ifet.gr
• EOPYY : d6.t1@eopyy.gov.gr
• Ministry of Health : protokollo@moh.gov.gr , farmaka@moh.gov.gr
• Deputy Minister of Health Dimitris Vartzopoulos : yfypourgos.vd@moh.gov.gr