Gauze, catheters, syringes, cotton, latex-gloves, but also drugs and medicine for cancer patients. Medical and paramedical material. A whole of 5 tons of aid has reached state hospital ELPIS. The humanitarian aid has the sole purpose to be used for patients without insurance. The aid has been sent to ELPIS by the NGO “Griechenlandhilfe” based is Austria.The material is been donated by multinational pharmaceutical companies, diaspora Greeks in Austria and Germany come up for the transport of the aid.
more pictures here
The explosive growth of unemployment has deprived thousands of Greeks from access to health care. Not only they cannot afford to pay a private doctor, they cannot even afford to buy an aspirin.
Many municipalities and NGO’s set up health centers, where volunteering doctors, medical personnel and other volunteers offer theirs knowledge free of charge for those in need.
Hospital ELPIS joined the network of solidarity with the needy patients offering healthcare services to those without insurance.
ELPIS director Yiannaros and cotton from Austria.
Speaking to news portal NewsIt, the general manager of ELPIS, Theodoros Yiannaros said “When a patient with cancer comes to the hospital we cannot tell him go first and find a job and then come back for the treatment.”
According to Yiannaros, the free medical service is possible only through the support of “Griechenlandhilfe”.
Austrian NGO “Griechenlandhilfe” (Greece Help) was established because the founders could not accept that “in rich Europe medical assistance is not possible because drugs, devices, or simple things like latex gloves and syringes are missing.” It brings aid to Greece since January 2013.
Griechenlandhilfe notes on its website: “The recently initiated “health checks for non-insured” turn out that they provide only free diagnosis. the treatment has to be paid be the patient. Cynically said, they let patients die but they tell them what they die from.”
PS Do you remember the humanitarian aid for Darfur, Northern Iraq, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and all the other spots in humanitarian crisis? A beneficial concert is urgently needed for the Greeks.
Bono? Bob? Guys? Are you there?
