Greek health minister calls for 'great sacrifices' By Oliver Joy and Irene Chapple September 18, 2012 -- Updated 0906 GMT (1706 HKT) Likourentzos said the healthcare system is 2 billion euros [$2.6 billion] in debt. Greece spends 11 billion euros ($14.4 billion) annually on its healthcare system (CNN) -- Greece is being asked to make "great sacrifices" but the country's sick will not suffer from a lack of medical help, health minister Andreas Likourentzos says. His comments come as cancer patients protest against health care reforms they say are cutting them off from expensive but life-saving drugs. Likourentzos, of the New Democracy party, told CNN: "We need to cut down the expenses but these cuts will not negatively affect those who need direct access to healthcare services." Greece spends 11 billion euros ($14.4 billion) annually on its healthcare system -- taking up 5.5% of the country's total economic output. The country needs to cut the sector's expenses back from 3.7 billion euros [$4.8 billion] last year to 2.9 billion euros [$3.7 billion] this year, he said. The cuts are due to be made as Greece, at the center of the eurozone's financial crisis, comes under intense pressure from both its international lenders and suppliers to its health care system. What the pharmacists say is true. We owe money to the pharmacists, the pharmaceutical companies and generally all the suppliers of the national health system," he said. The healthcare service cuts are part of broader austerity plans Greece must push through -- including cuts of 11.5 billion euros [$15 billion] -- if it is to receive its next tranche of bailout cash. The Troika -- a group of auditors made up of the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Union -- is in Greece to assess the progress of the country's austerity program and reforms to public finances. The group is due to produce its report at the end of September. September 14, 2012 -- Updated 1718 GMT (0118 HKT) Spain's hair salons say austerity cuts are not the problem, but tax hikes are the real cause for concern. CNN's Al Goodman reports. September 13, 2012 -- Updated 1001 GMT (1801 HKT) Greece grapples with citizens paying out of pocket for prescription medications as cuts begin to bite. CNN's Matthew Chance reports. September 12, 2012 -- Updated 1533 GMT (2333 HKT) Thousands of citizens have filed a complaint with German constitutional court over the ESM. CNN's Diana Magnay reports. September 11, 2012 -- Updated 2225 GMT (0625 HKT) After three months in office, French President François Hollande is criticized on all sides as Jim Bittermann reports. But in the wake of the eurozone crisis, the two are sometimes related. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports from Italy. Professor Niall Ferguson discusses the state of the crisis in Europe, the role of the European Central Bank and the impact of stimulus measures.