An Australia-based non-profit organization announced a multi-thousand euro grant to Doctors of the World Greece (commonly known as MdM Greece) which will provide primary healthcare access for more than 2,800 disenfranchised people in Athens.
The €54,000 (roughly $60,000) grant from The Hellenic Initiative Australia will support MdM Greece’s 12-month program which begins on June 1 at the Athens Open Polyclinic.
“With the world dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, THI Australia’s collaboration with MdM Greece comes at a critical time to ensure the most vulnerable in society have access to medical assessments and treatments,” THI Australia President Nicholas Pappas said.
An estimated 5,500 consultations, 1,700 medical assessments and 1,700 medical follow-ups will be conducted during the health program, which is the first to receive funding from Perth-based benefactor Dr. Constantine Berbatis and his family.
In 2019, the Berbatis family pledged $500,000 to THI Australia over five years to support Greek public health initiatives.
“The recent economic crisis in Greece has left a large number of people facing poverty and unable to access basic health care,” Berbatis said. “This is one of the reasons why my family and I wanted to contribute to the improvement of the general health status and disease prevention for vulnerable communities in Greece.”
Berbatis said his family looks forward to sharing stories about the people who benefit from the healthcare they receive through the program.
About Doctors of the World Greece
MdM Greece operates through various health facilities including three Open Polyclinics in Athens, Piraeus and Thessaloniki; two accommodation centers for the homeless and at-risk women; a center of empowerment for at-risk children and adolescents and social and medical services on remote islands.
“We welcome MdM Greece, with more than 30 years of continuous action in Greece, as the latest organization to join THI Australia’s outstanding partner NGOs in Greece,” Pappas said.
MdM Greece President Dr. Charikleia Tziouvara thanked Berbatis and THI Australia for fostering the forthcoming healthcare program.
“We are very enthusiastic to be working alongside THI Australia in the effort to reduce the health care inequalities in Greece,” Tziouvara said.
About THI Australia
THI Australia supports eight non-profit organizations in Greece including MdM Greece, Axion Hellas, Pediatric Trauma Care, Boroume, Desmos, Emfasis, SOS Children’s Villages Greece and Tipping Point.
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