The minister’s strong reaction was triggered by insinuations made by Antonis Kanakis and the Radio Arvyla show regarding a “bribe” related to the procurement of colon cancer tests.
“If you question my moral integrity again, because I’ve already suffered with the Novartis case, the joke is over, and we will meet in court,” was the message from the Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiadis, directed at Antonis Kanakis.
In a statement made on Thursday morning to ANT1, Georgiadis said, “I have no problem with Radio Arvyla, I watch them with sympathy. However, they made very heavy insinuations about bribery and corruption regarding the tests. I want to tell Mr. Kanakis that he can do whatever he wants on his show, play me for two hours straight. But if he questions my moral integrity again, we will meet in court.”
The Minister then addressed Kanakis directly, stating, “Listen, Mr. Kanakis, I’m not like you. When your collaborator (referring to Stathis Panagiotopoulos) was caught, you said you didn’t know what happened. I’m a person who, when I have responsibility for something, I take it. Mr. Kanakis, you can make fun of me as much as you want, laugh as much as you want, I’m a public figure and I accept criticism, but if you question my moral integrity, we will meet in court.”
Georgiadis continued by explaining the situation with the colon cancer tests, stating, “The first surgeries have already been performed on people who found out they had cancer through the test, so lives have already been saved.”
He also clarified how the process works, saying, “A positive test doesn’t mean cancer; it means you need to get checked, and we schedule a gastroenterologist appointment for you.”
Lastly, Georgiadis explained how the controversy started, noting that Radio Arvyla had turned the issue into something personal. “The test costs 7 euros, then Polakis says it costs 2 euros, implying that the minister takes the 5. We set specifications and said that we reimburse any test from any company. If the pharmacist finds a cheaper test, who gets the difference? The pharmacist. Therefore, there is no bribe for the ministry. This is something neither Polakis nor Radio Arvyla understands. We provided this reimbursement to incentivize the test.”
This exchange highlights a sharp conflict between the minister and the media over the alleged corruption involving the procurement of medical tests, with Georgiadis firmly defending his position.
