G. Patoulis: "Greece can and should be a health destination for residents of African countries who are now heading to Asia for medical tourism".

The prospects for the development of medical tourism from African countries were explored in the framework of the Hippocratic Week held at ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia by the Global Doctors’ Hippocratic Institute, under the auspices of the Athens Medical Association, Greek Health Tourism Council - Elitour, the Ministries of Health of Greece and Ethiopia and the Ministry of Tourism of Ethiopia, with the cooperation of the International Hippocratic Foundation of Kos.

The Greek delegation headed by G. Patoulis, President of the Athens Medical Association, Elitour and the Global Doctors’ Hippocratic Institute, met with the Ethiopian Minister of Tourism Nasise Chali Jira, the Deputy Minister of Health Dr Dereje Dugma, and the President of the Ethiopian Medical Association Dr Tegbar Yigzaw. They discussed the prospects for cooperation between the two countries in various fields that can be of benefit to both countries.

Ethiopia is a destination for patients from other African countries while many resort to India Thailand and Turkey for health services. It is estimated that out of the country's 120 million people, around 10% of them have a high level of economic means and can seek specialized medical services abroad that are not available in their own country.

The Minister of Tourism Mrs. Nasise Chali Jira invited the Greek delegation to the Ministry of Tourism and had a constructive conversation with the President of the AMA G. Patoulis. She mentioned the natural beauties of her country that are worth visiting as well as the possibilities of cooperation and exchange of know-how on a scientific level.

"Ethiopia and Greece have an ancient history and cultures that have transcended borders," the Ethiopian Minister of Tourism said and added: "Evidence shows that a significant number of people from African countries come to Ethiopia every year for health-related reasons. Ethiopia and Greece should strengthen their relations and deepen their cooperation in the tourism sector as well as in other economic and social sectors."

On his part, the President of the AMA C. Patoulis stressed that the scientific community of Greece is willing to cooperate and contribute to the strengthening of the country's know-how.

In this context, a twinning of the Medical Associations of Athens, Ethiopia and Cyprus took place, while a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Global Doctos’ Hippocratic Institute and the Medical Schools of the Universities of Addis Ababa, Thessaly, European University Cyprus and Belgrade, which participated in the Hippocratic Week.

The President of the Elitour C. Patoulis said the following: "Greece has high quality health services in various fields such as, for example, new robotic surgery technologies, assisted reproduction, etc. It can and should be a health destination for the residents of African countries who are now heading to Asia for medical tourism. These initiatives are part of the National Strategic Plan for the promotion of health tourism in our country, which includes a series of actions at global level, with the aim of highlighting Greece's competitive advantages in this sector.

As part of the Hippocratic Week in Ethiopia, the moving ceremony of Hippocrates' authentic oath took place, which included a re-enactment of the official event held at the archaeological site of Asclepius, in Kos.

The Hippocratic Oath in the ancient Ionian dialect was administered by 240 graduates of the Addis Ababa School of Medicine, who, at the invitation of the President of the AMA, G. Patoulis became members of the Global Doctors’ Hippocratic Institute.

In a ceremony aimed at spreading the Hippocratic spirit, the graduates of the University Of Addis Ababa Medical School took the Hippocratic Oath at the Tikur Anbesa University Hospital in the Ethiopian capital. The new doctors received a commemorative scroll with the Hippocratic Oath along with their degrees.

At the same time, a bust of Hippocrates, sponsored by the Athens Medical Associatio, was placed in the courtyard of the Medical School and next to it, in a symbolic gesture, the plane tree of Hippocrates was planted by the President of the AMA G. Patoulis and the President of Health Sciences of the Ethiopian Medical School Andualem Beyene.

It is noted that in recent years, the Global Doctors’ Hippocratic Institute, in cooperation with the Athens Medical Association and the International Hippocratic Foundation of Kos, have launched an effort to ensure that all medical school graduates around the world take the original Hippocratic Oath. Similar ceremonies have been held at other medical schools around the world, from Australia, to Canada and the USA.

In the Greek delegation participated Mr. Antonios Polydorou General Secretary of the Global Doctors’ Hippocratic Institute, Ambassador of Greek Tourism, representative of the International Hippocratic Foundation of Kos and the Cyprus Medical Association, Dr. Konstantinos Pantos Vice President of the Global Doctors’ Hippocratic Institute, Theophilos Karachalios Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Thessaly and Victoria Polidorou Lecturer in Anatomy of the Faculty of Medicine of the European University of Cyprus, who taught fetal ultrasound to students of the Department of Fetal Cardiology of the University of Addis Ababa.

As part of the Hippocratic Week, the Greek delegation visited a model institution for children with special needs, the Deborah Foundation, which offers comprehensive care and education to children with intellectual disabilities. A presentation of the Foundation's activities and the hospital to be built to meet the needs of these children was given by the founder of the Foundation, former Ethiopian Foreign Minister Abadulla Gemeda, who established the Foundation after the birth of his daughter Deborah with Down syndrome. Mr. Antonios Polydorou, General Secretary of the Global Doctors’ Hippocratic Institute and Special Olympics doctor, had talks with the Foundation's officials and Abadulla Gemeda to start a partnership with Special Olympics for the benefit of the children.