Evangelismos General Hospital Of Athens

The history and development of the Evangelismos Hospital is closely linked with the history and development of Athens as capital of the Greek State. Considered as starting point for its founding was the initiative taken in 1872 by members of the ‘Association of Ladies in Favour of Female Education’, to found a hospital in which nursing sisters would be trained. In 1881, on 25 Μarch, the feast of the Annunciation –in Greek Evangelismos, hence its name– the foundation stone of the Evangelismos Infirmary was laid on a plot of land conceded by the Holy Petrakis Monastery. In 1939 the Hospital was awarded a ‘gold medal’ for its excellent medical work. In 1950, the seven-storey “AXEPA Wing” was inaugurated following a significant donation by associations of Greek expatriates in the United States. Since then, the hospital has evolved into the largest hospital in the country. The pivotal role of “Evangelismos” within the National Health System, together with the constantly increasing need to upgrade its building infrastructure and to provide modern medical services, constitute the main criteria for the implementation of major donations by AIGEAS AMKE to the Hospital. Some of these initiatives are still ongoing and concern the renovation of the ICU and the Emergency Department (co-funded with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation), as well as the procurement of equipment for the operation of the hospital’s auditorium.

DONATIONS OF THE NON-PROFIT CIVIL COMPANY AEGEAS

• Supply and installation of an ultramodern digital angiography–biplane imaging system, for the first time in a public hospital in Greece.
• Renovation and adaptation of a space to accommodate an Endoscopy Laboratory.
• Creation of a new twelve-bed Intensive Care Unit in the AHEPA Wing (through the THORAX Foundation with sponsors the Non-profit Civil Company AEGEAS and Foteini Livanou).
• Supply of specialist medical devices (portable ultrasound system to cover the needs of the 3rd Surgical Department and Cardiothoracic Support System for the Intensive Care Unit).

DIGITAL BIPLANE ANGIOGRAPHY DEVICE

Through the donation of AIGEAS AMKE, “Evangelismos” became the first public hospital in Greece to acquire a state-of-the-art digital biplane angiography and imaging system. Thanks to this donation, the Hospital is now able to investigate and treat emergency cases that previously had to be transferred to other hospitals, putting patients’ health at risk. The donation also contributed to the development of a new specialized interventional radiology unit.

CREATION OF A NEW 12-BED INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

The new ICU 1 opened in 2021 on the third floor of the AHEPA building and has 12 beds. On completion of the donation, the Hospital’s ICU capacity is now 30 beds. Patients are treated in one of the most modern ICUs not just in Greece but in Europe. The donation was made by the Non-profit Civil Company AEGEAS together with Foteini Livanou, through the THORAX Foundation.

RENOVATION AND ADAPTATION OF A SPACE TO ACCOMMODATE AN ENDOSCOPY LABORATORY

Through the donation of AIGEAS AMKE, the building infrastructure of existing hospital spaces was upgraded, making it possible to install the Endoscopy Unit, which until then had been housed in a small area with the services of the Gastroenterology Laboratory scattered and disconnected from it. Thanks to the radical renovation of the space and its equipment, the Endoscopy Laboratory was brought into full operation. At the same time, patient flow procedures were accelerated, the number of endoscopic procedures increased, and congestion in the Surgical Clinics was alleviated. Today, the newly established Endoscopy Unit constitutes a model therapeutic department of the Hospital, fully aligned with European standards.