In March 2020 the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and the Greek Shipowners’ Social Welfare Company SYN-ENOSIS urgently proceeded, in the framework of their co-financed “Collaborating for Health” annual programme and taking into account the particular circumstances in the health sector, with the supply of 20,000 diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, in order to meet the relevant needs of the Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Laboratory of Microbiology of the School of Medicine of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In addition, through this Programme, the Hellenic Pasteur Institute has been equipped with 4,000 DNA isolation tests and a 96-sample isolation system, to ensure a more effective detection and diagnosis of the coronavirus. The donation was implemented in collaboration with the heads of the respective entities and in consultation with the competent agencies of the Ministry of Health; delivery of the relevant tests and equipment was completed in late April 2020.

At the same time, the Public Call for participation in the 3rd round of the “Collaborating for Health” programme was also announced in 2020; this call was addressed to General Children’s Hospitals and General and University Hospitals with the aim of upgrading their Pediatric Clinics/Departments/Units; to Health Centres for the upgrade of their Pediatric Clinics; as well as to non-profit private legal entities active in the Health sector in Greece.

Following a thorough evaluation, in December 2020 the pediatric care providers selected for support under the Programme were announced, as follows:

• PNOE – Friends of Children in Intensive Care

Supply of medical equipment for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the University General Hospital of Heraklion, and for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the University General Hospital of Ioannina

• General Hospital of Preveza

Supply of medical equipment for the Maternity Clinic

• General University Hospital of Alexandroupoli

Supply of medical equipment for the Department of Neonatology – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

• Athens General Children’s Hospital “P. & A. Kyriakou”

Supply of medical equipment for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

• General and Maternity Hospital “Helena Venizelou”

Supply of medical equipment for the Neonatal Department – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

• General Hospital of Nikaia-Piraeus “Agios Panteleimon”

Supply of medical equipment for the Neonatal Department – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

• General University Hospital of Larissa

Supply of medical equipment for the Department of Pediatrics of the University of Thessaly

• General Hospital – Health Centre of Neapoli “Dialinakeio”

Supply of medical equipment for the Pediatric Clinic

• Health Centre of Karditsa

Supply of medical equipment for the Pediatric Unit

• “Open Arms Hug – Friends of Social Paediatrics and Medicine” Association

Renovation and supply of equipment for the Mother’s Milk Bank of the General and Maternity Hospital “Helena Venizelou”

• General Hospital of Karpenissi

Supply of medical equipment for the Pediatric Clinic

• “Ippokrateio” General Hospital of Thessaloniki

Supply of medical equipment for the 3rd Pediatric Clinic of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

• AHEPA University General Hospital of Thessaloniki

Supply of medical equipment for the Pediatric Radiology Unit

The “Collaborating for Health” Programme is a joint initiative of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and SYN-ENOSIS, which has been implemented since 2018 and concerns the financing of small and medium-scale projects, its aim being to meet urgent needs of the public health sector and to improve the services of healthcare providers in Greece, through the supply of medical equipment and the upgrade of their infrastructure.

“In the context of the recent pandemic of the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus, our Laboratory has found itself, on account of its core activity, at the heart of the scientific effort to limit the disease. The donation of reagents to perform 10,000 molecular reactions for detection of the virus has been particularly important in the fight against the pandemic. Using these reagents and taking advantage of the pooling sample method, we were able to perform more than 30,000 tests, thus assisting in the work of the Mobile Health Teams of the National Public Health Organisation, to perform our work in the field of preventive medicine and to contribute more effectively to the epidemiological monitoring of COVID-19 disease.”

Pagona D. Lagiou

Professor of Hygiene and Epidemiology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Chair, Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

“Your donation is yet another valuable tool enabling the staff of the Department of Diagnostics of the Hellenic Pasteur Institute to keep striving to offer as much as it possibly can, in response to the increased needs of the current period, to serve society as a whole.”

Fotini Stylianopoulou

Professor of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

President of the Executive Board, Hellenic Pasteur Institute

“The valuable donation of 10,000 genetic material isolation tests and molecular diagnostic tests as well as a laminar flow device will greatly contribute to an increasingly effective laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 infection and will meet our Laboratory’s urgent needs in order to meet the challenge of the fight against the pandemic.”

Anna Papa-Konidari

Professor of Microbiology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Director, Laboratory of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki