The New Wing of the 1st Health Centre of Salamina, which is a donation of the ‘ELPIDA-Association of Friends of Children with Cancer’ in cooperation with the ‘Marianna V. Vardinoyannis’ Foundation, was inaugurated on Wednesday 7 April 2021, on the occasion of the World Health Day, in the presence of her H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Ms Sakellaropoulou was welcomed by the Minister of Health Mr Vassilis Kikilias, the Mayor of Salamina, Mr Georgios Panagopoulos, and the President of the ‘ELPIDA-Association of Friends of Children with Cancer’, Mrs Marianna V. Vardinoyannis.
The project, which was implemented to mark the ‘Thermopylae – Salamis 2020’ Anniversary Year and on the initiative of Mrs Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, is a response to a long-standing request of the islanders. The new wing will have a paediatric, ophthalmology, and dermatology clinic, and it will also house the offices of the nursing service.
“Under the conditions of an unprecedented health crisis, this day is especially symbolic, as we are honouring World Health Day with the opening of this new wing, which will be a ray of light and hope in the heart of each of us. During a period when all of humanity is being tested, mobilisation and collective responsibility is indisputably necessary. For us at ELPIDA and the Foundation, this contribution was the only way, and we considered it a duty from when we first started planning the actions of the Anniversary Year. That is because we felt the need, when the lights of the celebrations go out, to leave behind infrastructure on the island that would improve the standard of living of the islanders, and for the celebration of the 2,500 years to leave a mark on today and the future. The new wing of the Health Centre is the fulfilment of this promise. It is a small contribution that supports the superhuman efforts of the medical, nursing, and administrative staff, and it will improve the services of the Health Centre”, Mrs Vardinoyannis stressed in her speech.
In her address, the President of the Republic stressed the importance of strengthening the National Health Service during these unprecedented conditions of crisis, while she thanked the ‘ELPIDA-Association of Friends of Children with cancer’ and Mrs Vardinoyannis for their contribution:
“World Health Day coincides, this year, for the second time, with the global health crises. The third wave of the pandemic is testing our resilience, increasing our fears, and intensifying the expectations born of the rapid vaccinations and the gradual creation of herd immunity. We are at a crucial turning point in this collective effort. Every contribution to it, every show of support to Greece’s Health System, boosts our optimism and reignites our hope.
That is why I hail the initiative of the ‘ELPIDA Association of Friends of Children with Cancer’, and especially that of Mrs Marianna Vardinoyannis, in creating, in partnership with the ‘Marianna V. Vardinoyannis’ Foundation, and in the framework of the ‘Thermopylae – Salamis 2020” Anniversary Year, a new wing in the Salamina Health Centre, satisfying a long-standing demand of the islanders.
Operating 24/7 and covering the particularly increased healthcare needs of the historic island, especially in the summer months, the Health Centre provides more than just primary healthcare to the members of the community. For approximately one year it has been accepting suspected Covid-19 cases, it has been carrying out coronavirus testing, and since January 2021 it has been operating as a vaccination centre, carrying out approximately 200 vaccinations a day. It is one of Greece’s many Health Centres where the medical and nursing staff has been fighting against all odds to ensure the health of the citizens, while stopping congestion of the hospitals which are facing multiple burdens.
This contribution by the ELPIDA Association, through which the Salamina Health Centre is obtaining a wing with paediatric, ophthalmology, and dermatology clinics, while also being upgraded with renovation works that were necessary for its improved operation, is yet another gesture of social responsibility and humanitarian sensitivity, a tangible example of solidarity and charitable action”.
The Minister of Health, Mr Vassilis Kikilias, thanked Mrs Vardinoyannis on behalf of the Greek Government: “As a representative of the Greek Government and the Prime Minister, I would like to thank you, Mrs Vardinoyannis, for your exceptional contribution to the National Health Service, yet again. You have done it before for the children of our country, who are more important than anything. And you have done it repeatedly. It is truly a great pleasure when the state effort seamlessly partners with donor and benefactor initiatives”.
The Governor of Attica, Mr Giorgos Patoulis, spoke of the importance of making a contribution during these trying times for Greece: “Today, on World Health Day, we are here to honour contribution, during a period when our country needs it. Contribution from people who are present and accounted for when our country needs them, such as Mrs Marianna V. Vardinoyannis”.
The Mayor of Salamina, Mr Georgios Panagopoulos, called it an historic day for the island of Salamina. “This is an historic day for the island of Salamina. The new wing was a project that was truly necessary, and this need was covered by a woman who has dedicated her life to helping her fellow people. As a representative of our fellow citizens, I would like to thank you. We will feel safer from now on”.
The Director of the 2nd Health District of Piraeus and the Aegean Sea, Christos Roilos, wholeheartedly thanked Mrs Vardinoyannis and the ‘ELPIDA Association of Friends of Children with cancer’, and stated: “Primary healthcare is the front line of the National Health Service. We have great supporters in our struggle, and I would like to give my warmest thanks to them. There is a double symbolism to this day: we are on Salamina 2,500 years after the historic naval battle, and a health unit was selected for this donation. That is recognition of the struggle of the National Health Service to stand and fight”.
After the blessing ceremony by His Eminence Metropolitan Konstantinos of Megara and Salamina, those attending were taken on a guided tour of the new wing by the Director of the 2nd Health District of Piraeus and the Aegean Sea, Christos Roilos, Director Panagiota Bafa, and the head of the Nursing Service, Agoritsa Koulouri.
Also present at the modest inauguration event were the Chief of the Hellenic Navy, Vice Admiral Stylianos Petrakis, the Secretary General of Primary Healthcare, Mr Marios Themistokleous, the head of Primary Healthcare, Deputy Director Mr Periklis Alevizos, and former Mayor of Salamina Mr Athanasios Makris.
Immediately following the inauguration ceremony, H.E. the President of the Republic and Mrs Marianna Vardinoyannis visited Salamina City Hall, where there were welcomed by the Mayor of Salamina, Mr Giorgos Panagopoulos. Mr Panagopoulos wholeheartedly thanked the President of the Republic and Mrs Vardinoyannis for their support of the island of Salamina, and he symbolically offered each of them an olive wreath from the ‘Olive Tree of Orsa’, which is 2,500 years old and is located in the area of Eantio on Salamina.