A new donation to the National Health System was announced today, May 27, 2025, by Marianna Latsi at the University General Hospital of Patras. Specifically, Ms. Latsi will fully fund the study, construction, and equipment of a brand-new Day Care Unit for oncology patients. This initiative marks the creation of a third integrated cancer care center in Greece, this time serving Western Greece.

The new unit, spanning approximately 2,500 square meters, will be built within the perimeter of the University Hospital. It will house 30 treatment chairs and 20 hospital beds for patient chemotherapy. It will also feature a state-of-the-art robotic pharmacy.

Additionally, the unit is designed to function as a center of research and excellence for cancer studies and innovative chemotherapy approaches.

Marianna Latsi emphasized in her speech that this new Day Care Unit will uphold the same values and expectations as the two previous “Nikos Kourkoulos” Day Units—at Agios Savvas Hospital in Athens and Theagenio Hospital in Thessaloniki.

However, she noted that this new unit is unique: “It is the first to be built entirely from scratch. The previous two were renovations of existing buildings.”

Visibly moved, Latsi said,

“I feel blessed. Because life giving you the ability to offer is a blessing. My father Yiannis Latsis’ legacy—both material and moral—allows me to do this. Transforming personal loss and silent pain into a gift for others is a blessing.”

She concluded by thanking everyone involved and invited them to continue their efforts so that,

“on January 30, 2027—exactly 20 years after the death of Nikos Kourkoulos—we can inaugurate the new Unit and offer it to the National Health System.”

Adonis Georgiadis: “This Unit Will Transform Cancer Care in Western Greece”

Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis praised Marianna Latsi’s new donation, saying:

“The new ‘Nikos Kourkoulos’ Day Care Unit at the University Hospital in Rio will greatly enhance the ability of the National Health System to serve cancer patients in Western Greece—an area where sadly many of our fellow citizens face cancer.”

He added:

“We owe enormous gratitude to all benefactors, to all who share some of their good fortune with the people of Greece. I feel lucky to be Health Minister in a country where we have many such benefactors—many of whom are not famous.

But Marianna Latsi has truly made a difference with her donations of not one, but now three oncology day care units. At Agios Savvas alone, 28,000 people are treated every year and 2,000 surgeries are performed.

As Health Minister and on behalf of the National Health System of our country, I express our deepest gratitude to Ms. Latsi.”

Marios Themistokleous: “The State Will Ensure the Unit is Ready by 2027”

Deputy Health Minister Marios Themistokleous also commended Latsi’s initiative to create an entirely new oncology day care unit. He stressed the importance of such donations:

“Support like this is invaluable to the Greek state, especially given our limited resources. These units—thanks to Marianna Latsi—are being built rapidly with top-tier infrastructure and medical equipment. They set a standard for what the state should strive toward.”

He added:

“Already, 350,000 patients have been served by the existing ‘Nikos Kourkoulos’ Day Units. The government is committed to doing everything possible to support this new initiative so that the Unit is ready to welcome its first patients between the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027.”