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 ‘AHEPA Wing’ was inaugurated after an important donation from the American Hellenic Educational and Progressive Association. Since then, the Hospital has grown into one of the biggest in Greece. The pivotal role of Evangelismos in the National Health Service and the constantly increasing needs for upgrading the building infrastructure and providing cutting-edge medical services are the basic criteria for the donations made by the Non-profit Civil Company AEGEAS to the Hospital. Some of these projects are still in progress and involve the renovation of the ICU and the A&E Department (joint funding with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation), and the supply of equipment for the Hospital’s amphitheatre.
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
With the donation from the Non-profit Civil Company AEGEAS the Evangelismos became the first public hospital in Greece to acquire an ultramodern digital angiography- biplane imaging system. Thanks to the donation of the machine, the Hospital is now able to investigate and to deal with emergency cases which formerly had to be transferred to other hospitals, at risk to the patients’ health. The donation also contributed to the development of a new specialist invasive 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
Με τη δωρεά της ΑΙΓΕΑΣ ΑΜΚΕ αναβαθμίστηκαν οι κτιριακές υποδομές υφιστάμενων χώρων του Νοσοκομείου, ώστε να καταστεί δυνατή η εγκατάσταση της Ενδοσκοπικής Μονάδας, η οποία έως τότε στεγαζόταν σε έναν μικρό χώρο με διάσπαρτες και αποκομμένες από αυτή τις υπηρεσίες του Γαστρεντερολογικού Εργαστηρίου. Χάρη στη ριζική ανακαίνιση του χώρου και τον εξοπλισμό του, τέθηκε σε πλήρη λειτουργία το Ενδοσκοπικό Εργαστήριο, ενώ παράλληλα επιταχύνθηκαν οι διαδικασίες διακίνησης των ασθενών, αυξήθηκε ο αριθμός των ενδοσκοπήσεων, και επιτεύχθηκε αποσυμφόρηση των Χειρουργικών Κλινικών. Πλέον, η νεότευκτη Ενδοσκοπική Μονάδα συνιστά πρότυπο θεραπευτικού τμήματος του Νοσοκομείου, πλήρως εναρμονισμένου με τα ευρωπαϊκά πρότυπα.