OMG! Greeks Self-Inject HIV To Claim Benefits.

WHO report on European health divide says the disturbing practice is growing amid country's deeply troubled economy.

Stringent austerity measures have failed to revive the Greek economy, spurring protests [AFP]

A growing number of Greek residents have injected themselves with HIV so they can claim about $950 in monthly health benefits, according to a report commissioned by the World Health Organisation. The report, Review of social determinants and the health divide in the WHO European Region, found about half of new HIV infections in Greece were self-inflicted, as the population continues to grapple with a deeply troubled economy. The country's suicide rate has also skyrocketed, while health-care access has declined. "These adverse trends in Greece pose a warning to other countries undergoing significant fiscal austerity, including Spain, Ireland and Italy," the report noted. "It also suggests that ways need to be found for cash-strapped governments to consolidate finances without undermining much-needed investments in health." Despite severe austerity measures, which have prompted massive protests in Greece, the country's economy has continued to decline, with unemployment soaring to 27%. Homicide and theft rates have correspondingly doubled, growing alongside the disturbing trend of self-inflicted HIV infections, the WHO report noted. "HIV rates and heroin use have risen significantly, with about half of new HIV infections being self-inflicted to enable people to receive benefits... and faster admission on to drug-substitution programmes," the report stated. "Prostitution has also risen, probably as a response to economic hardship." Health-care gaps The study also found that suicides rose by 17% in a two-year period ending in 2009, with the Health Ministry citing a further 40% rise in the first half of 2011. In the meantime, Greeks have had poorer access to healthcare as hospital budgets have been slashed. WHO commissioned the report, prepared by the UCL Institute of Health Equity, to review inequities among countries in the European Region and recommend policies to bridge the gaps. Since the spring of 2010, Greece has been dependent on bailouts from the International Monetary Fund and other European countries. Stringent austerity measures have failed to revive the Greek economy, instead fuelling sustained public anger. In September, thousands of civil servants marched through Athens as part of a two-day national strike against planned job cuts. Aljazeera