On Wednesday 10th September, during a simple ceremony, held at the Central Service of the National Emergency Aid Centre (E.K.A.V.) of Athens, in the presence of Mr M. Voridis, Minister of Health, and the leadership of the Ministry, took place the official handover process of the Donation of five state-of-the-art Ambulances and three small Fast Access Vehicles from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.

After the two Foundations made the decision to proceed with this donation, a public tender was held for the final supply of the vehicles in question, based on the required technical specifications set by the Central Service of E.K.A.V.

The new Ambulances and small Fast Access Vehicles have been placed under the operational management of E.K.A.V. to meet the needs of various areas throughout Greece, during this critical period, until the necessary renewal of its fleet of vehicles is carried out. In this way, the general provision of emergency pre-hospital care to all citizens is improved, both in urban centres and in the provinces.

Mr Dimitrios Papagiannidis, Chairman of the BoD of E.K.A.V., in his greeting said that:

“The funding for the purchase of 5 state-of-the-art, fully equipped Ambulances and 3 small Fast Access Vehicles offered by the 2 foundations is a real help and a boost to EKAV.”

During the ceremony, Mr Georgios Agouridis, member of the BoD of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, stated that:

“We hope that this donation –which is the result of the cooperation between our Foundation and the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation– will inspire other organisations in our country to offer, to the best of their abilities, support to those in need, thus contributing to the establishment of a Welfare Society in Greece.”

Mrs Marianna Latsis stressed that:

“What is probably more important than the donation itself is the spirit of cooperation in which it was made. We live in a country where we have not learned to make joint efforts and endeavours. Unfortunately, until recently, this was true for public benefit actions as well. Today’s donation, as well as other initiatives undertaken by the State, Foundations and NGOs, shows that joint efforts and productive cooperation are starting to gain ground. This is the most promising message of today’s ceremony, which we, as a Public Benefit Foundation, believe should guide the country’s development and is the only way to support our fellow citizens, who are being tested by the crisis.”