**1. Introduction**

The technological advances which occur at a rapid pace in the sectors of biomedicine, information technology and telecommunications, have already transformed fundamentally the entire spectrum of production and distribution of health services. The open e-government promotion leads in its turn, to the reshaping of the health sector, which is being called upon to respond to the contemporary challenges including the restriction of the expenses incurred, the effectiveness and simultaneous increase of the health services users' satisfaction [1, 2].

The Greek National Health System, especially after the prolonged period of economic crisis which it has experienced since 2009, faces up against accumulated problems in the citizen's relations with the services (responsiveness, quality and accessibility in the provided health services), having to solve a difficult equation. It's being required to balance and find the golden mean between the healthcare cost, which is constantly rising, since the destitute and uninsured citizens are multiplying, the population of Greece is aging, chronic and degenerative conditions are

striking more and more people, while at the same time the refugees who arrive in the country amount to tens of thousands. On the other hand, the available system resources, both material and human, are constantly decreasing [3, 4]. Thus, inevitably, the need arises for healthcare in Greece to readjust to the new circumstances and utilize the digital technology so that hospital institutions will be decongested and healthcare expenditure limited [5, 6].

This paper will define the content of e-Health in accordance with the decisions of the World Health Organization and other international legal entities. It will then focus on how Greece implemented the specific decisions of international organizations. It will describe in detail the forms of e-Health adopted by the Greek National Health System, it will assess the benefits and the problems that have emerged from their implementation. Finally, it will discuss some of the challenges that Greece faces in the coming years in the context of the implementation of e-Health and highlight the role that the COVID-19 pandemic may play in accelerating them.
