Since September 2017, the Army General Staff has implemented an automated circulation system for medical products, prioritizing high-cost and critical consumables like grafts, stents, and pacemakers. Military Pharmacists at the 401 General Military Hospital of Athens (401 GMH) are actively piloting the adoption of international GS1 standards. These standards involve encoding, labeling, and tracing medical materials using GS1 barcode scanning technology, aiming to enhance service efficiency and effectiveness.

The H 441 ABYY (Medical Supplies Military Base Warehouse), aiming to automate warehouse processes and minimize or even eliminate errors, has adopted international GS1 standards by implementing GS1 Datamatrix Barcode on pharmaceuticals it produces and on all products received from suppliers. As a result, inventory accuracy has improved to 96%, order management time has been reduced by 25% to 30%, and error rates have decreased to 3%. H 441 ABYY has significantly reduced supply chain costs and can now execute recalls faster, if necessary.

In the army's supply chain processes, achieving fast and accurate operations is crucial. The 401 General Military Hospital of Athens, the largest military hospital in Greece, aimed to provide its patients with a high level of operational efficiency. However, the absence of a standardized coding and naming system for the hospital's inventory made it challenging to maintain a clear and accurate overview of surgical stocks and medical devices used during procedures. The adoption of GS1 standards significantly enhanced the efficiency and effectiveness of all processes.

A significant advancement in the implementation of GS1 standards in the healthcare sector in our country is their adoption by the Army Medical Corps. These standards are now one of the prescribed coding systems for medicines and medical devices in the updated Technical Manual titled "Medical Supplies - Classification, Maintenance, Inspection Guidelines," which was re-published in March 2023.