A/HRC/25/50/Add.1 as the HIV status of persons, by the Hellenic Police and local media violates the rights to privacy (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, art. 17) and the confidentiality of personal health information (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, art. 12). 66. There has also been a rise in mental health problems. Suicides have risen by 37 per cent since the onset of the debt crisis (from 677 in 2009 to 927 in 2011).70 According to some studies, the rise in suicides and suicide attempts can, to a large extent, be attributed to the financial and social strain imposed on individuals by the economic crisis.71 67. In the context of severely reduced access to the public health-care system, there has been an increase in the number of community clinics serving a population unable to afford health insurance, nor pay for treatment and medicines. More and more Greek citizens are turning to these clinics, which were initially established to help immigrant communities, are staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses and provide free services and medicines (which are donated). 68. Access to medicines has also become a problem. In February 2013, more than 200 medical products were in short supply at hospitals and pharmacies, including drugs for arthritis, hepatitis C and hypertension, cholesterol-lowering agents, antipsychotics and antibiotics.72 The introduction of co-payments has compounded the problem, since many patients cannot afford, in the context of severe austerity, to pay for their medication. 69. In June 2013, the National Organization for Health-care Provision (EOPYY) started to hand out free medicines to about 50,000 unemployed and uninsured persons through a network of “social” pharmacies located in Attica.73 The Independent Expert welcomes this initiative, but is of the view that the programme needs to be significantly expanded in volume and geographical scope so as to ensure affordable access to medicines by all that need them. 70. The reforms have also restricted access to health care for undocumented migrants. Although in theory they have access to free health-care services in cases of emergency or if there is a risk to their life, in practice such access cannot be assured since it is at the discretion of medical personnel. Moreover, an official directive issued on 2 May 2012 (amending the Law 3386/2005, §84) states clearly that public services, public corporate bodies, local authorities and social security institutions do not have to provide services to undocumented third-country nationals, except in an emergency.74 70 71 72 73 74 18 “Greece suicide rate skyrockets, police data shows”, Ekathimerini, 22 November 2012. See also “ELSTAT says 1,245 Greeks killed themselves in 2009-11 period”, Ekathimerini, 28 June 2013. Official statistics might not, however, give an accurate reflection of the situation owing to the fact that many suicides are not reported as such because the Greek Orthodox Church refuses religious funerals to those whose deaths are classified as suicides. See David Stuckler et al.,“Effects of the 2008 recession on health: a first look at European data”, Lancet, vol. 378 (2011), pp. 124-125; and M. Econoumou et al., “Suicidal ideation and reported suicide attempts in Greece during the economic crisis”, World Psychiatry, vol. 12, No. 1 (2013), pp. 53-59. Elizabeth Sukkar and Helena Smith, “Panic in Greek pharmacies as hundreds of medicines run short”, Guardian, 27 February 2013, available from www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/27/greeceblames-drug-companies-shortages. “EOPYY to give out free medicines to 50,000 Greeks”, Ekathimerini, 1 June 2013,www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_01/06/2013_502099. Médicines du Monde, Access to healthcare in Europe in times of crisis and rising xenophobia Paris, 2013 (available from www.medecinsdumonde.org/content/download/13840/165088/file/DP+crisis+and+rising+xenophobia .pdf), p. 42.