The Varis Health Center, which was fully renovated with resources from the Recovery Fund, while at the same time its staff increased significantly, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited this afternoon.
Accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Health Mario Themistocleous and the Mayor of Varis-Voulas-Vouliagmenis Gregory Constantine, the Prime Minister was guided to the renovated facilities by the Director of the Centre, Maria Kravvaritos, and had the opportunity to chat with staff and citizens.
Vari's unit is among the 156 Health Centers upgraded across Greece, along with more than 90 public hospitals, as part of the planning for the substantial improvement of primary care and the NSO more widely.
The Center of Vari has an Emergency Department, Radiodiagnostic and Ultrasonic Department, laboratory sector and specialized clinics, while its staff have been strengthened by 23% compared to 2019, counting now nearly 50 people.
With funding from the TAA there were renovation, modernization and energy upgrading projects in the 1,200 sq.m. area building.
As noted during the tour, the health centre's traffic was increased by 19% last year compared to 2019 and only last year received 37,264 visits.
Finishing the visit to the Health Center, Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed in a statement: "At the beginning of our term of office we had set as a central goal to use the resources of the Recovery Fund to make the greatest intervention in the infrastructure of the National Health System from its recommendation.
Here, the Weight Health Center is just one example of the 156 Health Centers which are fully reconstructed, with European resources.
A Health Centre dating back to 1989, was in trouble, became practically new, equipped and has the opportunity today to provide quality primary care to tens of thousands of residents, My Mayor, of the wider region.
I want to say a special thank you to doctors, nurses, all the administrative staff. You're the ones who keep the National Health System up.
We know what we've done. We are well aware of any deficiencies. We don't hide the problems under the carpet. We know that we have staffing issues with regard to nurses, which is why we have made significant moves to make the nursing profession more attractive than it is today.
And we will continue to fight to constantly upgrade the National Health System, which has taken very, very important steps forward.
I think it is also very important to send a message that citizens should trust primary care, the Health Centers, and when these are also on call for emergencies. You have the opportunity here to treat fellow citizens, as you do, in the six days a week you are on duty, and if you obviously need to, you can always take a trip to a larger hospital.
So here, too, another picture of a National Health System that changes, for the benefit of employees in the NIS, because it is obviously very important for you to work in a modern pleasant place, but especially of citizens, who still trust the National Health System and give it very high levels of satisfaction in relation to the quality of the services provided.".
Deputy Minister of Health Marios Themistocleous noted from his point of view: "We are at the Centre for Health of Vari, another renovated Health Center, with money from the Recovery and Durability Fund, a budget of 1.5 million.
A health centre built in 1989, which is now fully renovated, but, most importantly, with a very good staffing and excellent doctors, excellent colleagues, covering all basic functions and a radiological, Mr President, which has had to work since 2001 and has been reopened over the last three years. So we operate here both radiological and ultrasound, machine.".
Health Center Director Maria Kravvaritis said: "We are very pleased that you have visited us, to see in person a work that we have had the pleasure of launching this year, to upgrade both energy and functionally and to increase its visibility.
We hope that this work will be maintained in the future, that staff will be increased. Right now we don't have immediate needs particularly. Thank you very much for your visit.".
Flood projects in the Corby stream
Earlier, the Prime Minister visited the anti-flood projects in the Korby stream and was informed by the Regional Governor of Attica Nikos Hardalias and the Mayor of Varis-Voulas-Vouliagmenis Gregory Constantellos about the progress of the work.
The interventions concern the construction of 2,840m long flood infrastructure, from Varis-Corpion Avenue to Varkiza, a total budget of 24m euros, as part of the plan to protect southern Attica.
Meeting with volunteers and workers for forest firefighting
In completing his visit to the area, Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with volunteer firefighters, firefighters and drivers of civil protection vehicles, as well as members of the civil protection department of the Municipality, at Varis-Voulas-Vouliagmenis Town Hall.
The Prime Minister also had the opportunity to visit the operational monitoring centre, located in the same area, where he was informed about the operation of drones in the field and their effectiveness in the early detection of fires, so that the first attack could take place immediately.
During the visit, the importance of municipal civil protection departments and volunteers in the fight against fires was highlighted, as they are particularly contributing to the work of the Fire Corps, whose power now exceeds 18,800 people.
In completing his visit, Kyriakos Mitsotakis made the following statement: "I would like to thank the Mayor very much, but also his entire staff, civil protection employees but especially the volunteers of the Municipality of Varis-Voula-Vouliagmenis for the truly excellent work they have done in the last few years in the field of civil protection.
The Mayor was the first to use modern, aerial surveillance technologies with drones, to be able to monitor 24 hours a day twenty-four hours what is happening to the Hymetus and the boundaries of his Municipality.
I have to say that it is the one who has opened our eyes to civil protection, so that today we have 130 such systems developed throughout the country, which make a huge difference in the fast identification of forest fires and enable us to intervene in a few minutes, at a much greater speed and obviously much more efficiency.
Taking care of the environment and especially the surrounding forests of the Lecanopei is a priority for our government.
I would like to highlight the excellent cooperation we have with Local Government I and II. Together we work together, we have, I think, set the framework for a completely different political protection than we knew. But obviously nothing can be done centrally without the cooperation of Local Government, without the people they know, love and live with the mountain on a daily basis.
So I hope this summer will be as painless as possible. We know that we will always have fires in our country and we have a debt: every year to improve our operational readiness. Something that the Municipality, dear Gregory, does to a supreme degree.
So congratulations again. And many congratulations to the ladies and gentlemen - and especially to our volunteers - to whom we owe much. I must say that for the first time we recorded them, certified them at national level and support them as far as possible, because they are truly valuable helpers in the effort we are making.".
For his part Mayor Varis-Voulas-Vouliagmenis Gregory Constantellos said: "We had the pleasure of welcoming the Prime Minister today, who visited critical infrastructure of the city, such as the Health Center, such as Corby's under construction stream, but also political protection with city officials and volunteers, as well as all the power we have in vehicles and technology.
We believe that investment in the environment through civil protection is evidence of resilience. Resistantness is the big question for the next day.
We invest own resources, especially, but also European programmes in this direction and we believe that if we succeed today in showing how the whole process of civil protection can be done in an easy, fast and effective way, we give the environment a future, so oxygen to our children.".