HYGEIA: “Travelling for Health 2013” Program/ Free medical services and medications for Agathonisi, Leipsoi & Fournoi
HYGEIA Hospital offered free medical services and medications to the residents of the remote islands of Agathonisi, Leipsoi and Fournoi. The initiative was launched in the context of the “Travelling for Health” program, which forms part of HYGEIA Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility actions.
On 18 and 19 July, a team of 38 HYGEIA Group volunteers travelled to Agathonisi and Leipsoi and performed free medical tests, blood tests, Pap smears, ultrasounds, cardiograms, gynecological exams and minor surgical procedures on the residents of the islands. The team included 15 physicians with 12 different specialties (two internal medicine doctors, three cardiologists, a surgeon, an ophthalmologist, a pediatrician, a plastic surgeon, a vascular surgeon, a gynecologist, an orthopedic doctor, an ENT doctor, a radiologist and an anesthesiologist), as well as nursing, technical and administrative staff. All volunteers travelled to and from the island of Samos, courtesy of Olympic Air.
The medical exams and tests were performed at the Agathonisi multidisciplinary regional medical center and rural medical center, and the Leipsoi multidisciplinary regional medical center. The medical equipment used, was transferred to the centers by HYGEIA vehicles. Meanwhile, a team of volunteers offered free medical supplies and medications to the island municipalities, including the Municipality of Fournoi, where Group representative travelled to personally to deliver the supplies. HYGEIA Group will also donate a defibrillator to the Municipality of Fournoi.
Furthermore, in association with the municipalities of Agathonisi and Leipsoi, the Group donated two Telemedicine Systems. The systems were installed in the regional medical centers of the two islands and the technical support was provided by SingularLogic, a subsidiary of MIG.
The Telemedicine Systems will transfer medical data in real time from the regional medical centers of the islands to HYGEIA’s Outpatients Clinic. On a 24-hour basis, specialist doctors at HYGEIA will monitor the vital signs of patients, such as heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, body temperature and respiratory rate. Moreover, the Systems allow direct communication, with image and sound, between the doctors on Agathonisi and Leipsoi and the HYGEIA doctors, while they also transfer the patient’s image to the HYGEIA consultation center so that each incident may be treated accordingly.
The mayors of Agathonisi, Leipsoi and Fournoi, Vangelis Kottoros, Benetos Spyrou and Ioannis Marousis respectively, sincerely thanked the HYGEIA Group representatives for their generous offer.
Commenting on the initiative, HYGEIA Group’s CEO, Ms Areti Souvatzoglou, stated, “The ‘Travelling for Health’ initiative aims at serving the needs of residents from small islands or mountainous regions who cannot easily access medical services. We received a lesson in optimism and social contribution from the three islands we visited these days. The enthusiasm of the residents who welcomed us to their islands, as well as the willingness demonstrated by HYGEIA’s medical, nursing, technical and administrative staff to participate in the program voluntarily, will allow us to continue our efforts in other locations as well. HYGEIA Group is standing at the frontline of social contribution and will continue to do so, further boosting the social responsibility initiatives it launches.”