Greece's Health Ministry will form a committee within the week to draft regulations governing longevity and regenerative medicine services, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis announced Monday, days after singer Giorgos Mazonakis died following an unlicensed plasmapheresis procedure.
Mr. Georgiadis told ERTnews that plasmapheresis is a serious medical procedure carrying life-threatening risks and cannot legally be performed in an ordinary private clinic — it requires a hospital setting.
He said Greece should not shut out the fast-growing global longevity field, citing similar services expanding in Germany, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, but stressed the goal is separating scientifically validated treatments from unproven or dangerously administered ones.
The minister acknowledged no comprehensive regulatory framework currently exists for new longevity applications, saying legislation has lagged behind scientific and technological advances. The new committee will review current rules and propose changes before formal legislation follows.
Mr. Georgiadis also addressed loopholes in medical advertising rules, noting that while direct and indirect advertising of medical services is already banned, a provision allowing public scientific information sometimes serves as a workaround for promotional content. Criminal defense attorney Theodoros Mantas, who joined the discussion, compared the issue to advertising restrictions on legal services and argued indirect promotion needs tighter enforcement.
Mr. Georgiadis said he is considering requiring prior approval from medical associations before new treatments are publicized in media or online, though he called it a preliminary idea rather than a final decision.
The minister said complaints related to the case will be forwarded to Greece's National Transparency Authority, which replaced the former health inspectorate, once supporting material is verified.
Speaking at Mr. Mazonakis's funeral earlier Monday, Mr. Georgiadis apologized to the singer's family, saying "there is a responsibility here" that Greece's system failed to protect him, regardless of his fame.