In 2022, the project of refurbishing, renovating and upgrading the Emergency Department of General Hospital of Athens “G. Gennimatas” – one of the country’s most critical E.D.s – was completed. This project has been implemented following a donation from the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation; it was inaugurated in October 2022 and it is expected to contribute significantly to the modernisation of the hospital’s emergency care services, to an improved assistance of patients and their companions, as well as to better working conditions for the hospital staff. The donation of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation focused on the design and implementation of a complete rebuilding, at construction and electrical/mechanical level, of the entire E.D. building complex (1,192 m2), its surrounding area (1,600 m2) and the new canopy (350 m2), as well as the supply and installation of state-of-the art medical technology and other equipment. The functional and spatial redesign of the E.D. ensures its smooth operation and increases the overall efficiency of the hospital, with a view to meeting modern healthcare needs.

This donation forms part of a bundle of actions falling within the scope of the Upgrade of the National Health System Programme (budgeted at €5,000,000) – a programme announced by the Foundation back in 2018, in memory of those who lost their lives in the wildfires of July 2018 and expressing the Foundation’s commitment to contribute to the collective effort to support the affected citizens and assist in the restoration of the affected areas and their infrastructure. Through the programme’s targeted interventions, the Foundation aimed to meet urgent needs in the Public Health sector that were related to the handling of emergency cases, given that the Health sector constitutes an established, critical link in the chain of civil protection and management of any state-of emergency situation.

• Over 80,000 people visited the E.D. of General Hospital “G. Gennimatas” during its on-call operation for 2021, making it the most frequently visited hospital in the Attica basin; attendance reached 82,658 people in 2022.

“The upgrading of the Hospital’s Emergency Department, operating in the patients’ interest and for the patients’ safety, regardless of their socio-economic status, enables us to pursue an early diagnosis of a patient’s health problem, its effective treatment, the provision of high-quality care, providing such care promptly and efficiently, as well as developing and contributing to the progress of medical research, training and specialisation of our medical staff. This project will also greatly benefit all health professionals in the Hospital. Through the donation we aim to offer them a decent work environment, ensure their safety and create the necessary conditions for them to carry out their work efficiently and at the same time gain the respect and trust of patients and their families in the performance of their work.”

Eleftherios Boulias
Director, General Hospital of Athens “G. Gennimatas” 

• Watch the video presenting the Project here (in Greek).