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The economic crisis and declining birth rates are the reasons for the fall of the revenue of gynecological clinics and maternity wards. It also seems that this year will be more difficult than the last. The general manager of the private clinic Iaso in Athens Pashalis Buhoris says for Vima: "The declining birth rates, the limited solvency of insurance funds, the stopped subsidies from the insurance companies, the charging the private health insurance companies with VAT, the extraordinary payments, the new prices of medications and the strong competition suffocated all companies operating in the industry. Our first concern is to keep the number of patients by reducing the prices and improving the services. In 2010, the turnover of the Iaso clinic fell by 18%."
 
Last year Iaso was the only private maternity home which registered profit before and after the taxes and that is why the words of Buhoris are of significant importance. Another interesting fact from his remarks is that "the trend for 2010, when patients turned mostly to public hospitals to give birth, is now reversed and the data indicate that there is a return to private clinics. This happens for two reasons: private clinics have reduced their prices (for example, the reductions in Iaso reach 44%), while the "wages" of doctors in public hospitals increased because of the demand. So, it does not make sense the people to go to the public hospital as they did a year ago. These developments are beneficial not only for Iaso, but for other private clinics too."

The goal of the private clinic Iaso for 2011 is better management of suppliers of medications, more customers, to attract new doctors, improve the opportunities for profit while reducing the cost of services, improve the results of new investment (new clinics Iaso in Thessaly and Filoktiti) and preparedness in case new investment opportunities open. The management of the clinic also aims to increase its capital by 15 million euros in order to reduce the amount of bank loans. A room with three beds for the women who want a natural birth in the clinic costs € 1,800, whereas it cost € 3,500 before.

At the same time, Iaso will mark its 15^th anniversary on the 26^th of May. For that time the gynecological clinic has become a company providing health services in all areas of medicine at five hospitals. According to the data in Vima, there were born over 200 000 babies, which is over 14% of the total number of births in Greece and around 40% of the births in Attica for the last 15 years.

On the other hand, the state clinics Alexandra and Elena made repairs and offer luxurious rooms for pregnant women and their infants remain with them 24 hours a day. Also, public hospitals are best equipped for emergencies. Since about a year and a half, many Greek women have begun to seek the services of public hospitals, as the prices in private clinics reached the affordable ceiling and the conditions in public hospitals have improved.