“The amendment to the contract of donation for the construction of the new wing of the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Centre will be debated tomorrow, Tuesday 19 November, in the plenary session of the Parliament. This amendment increases the amount of the donation to 82 million euros, from the originally planned amount of 70 million euros. 70 million and extends the deadline for the delivery of the project until 31.3.2025,” said Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis in his introductory statement during the briefing of political editors.

“In addition, procedural issues that are necessary for the smooth execution of the project are regulated, such as, for example, the connection with the Public Utilities. Furthermore, it is planned to change the name of the Legal Entity under Private Law “ONASEI CARDIOLOGICAL CENTER” to ONASEI HOSPITAL, in order to cover all its activities in view of the forthcoming handover of the New Wing and the operation of the Children’s Hospital and the ONASEI NATIONAL EMERGENCY CENTER. Its activity has already largely expanded in the field of cardiology.

In addition, an exemption from VAT is provided for all donations made by the Foundation to the ONASE HOSPITAL. The exemption from VAT for donations for public benefit purposes in the public interest is already provided for in the VAT Code, however, this regulation is deemed necessary in order to facilitate the realisation of these donations by the Alexander Onassis Foundation.

With the cooperation of the state and civil society, the continuous effort to improve the services provided in the National Health System is intensified even more”, he said.

He recalled that with resources from the Recovery and Resilience Fund, the largest renovation programme of 80 hospitals and 156 health centres across Greece is proceeding, which will contribute to improving conditions for both patients and employees who daily overstretch themselves.

He also noted that a decision by Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance, Nikos Papathanasis, included in the Recovery and Resilience Fund a grant to the Public Employment Service for the implementation of training programs, which will involve high-demand skills in Greece in cutting-edge industries, for a total public expenditure of 103,744,000 euros.

“The thematic subjects of the targeted training programmes will be selected by the D.M.A.A., based on the current framework, available data and relevant labour market studies, but also in cooperation with institutions representing cutting-edge industries, so as to meet the needs and objectives of the proposed reform of the ENational Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0”.

The potential beneficiaries are estimated at 38,500, while the implementation of the training programmes will include a trainee’s fee, as well as training and certification providers’ costs,”
he said.

Finally, he said that at the United Nations conference on the climate crisis, the cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection of Greece for the preventive protection of 50 archaeological sites from forest fires was presented as a good practice, as well as the structure and objectives of the digital platform of the Ministry of Culture for the assessment of climate risks for archaeological sites and monuments at the territory level.

“Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni at the ministerial dialogue on the climate crisis in culture, noted that “it is our priority to take preventive action to address the effects of climate change on our cultural heritage” and insisted on the need for international cooperation to exchange experiences and good practices.

The Minister had a working meeting with Dana Firas, Princess of Jordan and President of the Petra National Trust, who noted that “Greece is a leader in cultural issues and initiatives to protect cultural heritage from climate change”. In order to coordinate joint actions on the climate crisis, a joint seminar will be held to exchange know-how, as well as cooperation, both in cultural educational programs for children and young people, and in the field of preserving traditional art and craft forms,” she said.