Universal, equal and dignified access to health care at the Athens Open Polyclinic through the 5th cycle of the THI Australia Public Health Project
Médecins du Monde launched the 5th cycle of the THI Australia Public Health Project, continuing the collaboration with The Hellenic Initiative Australia (THI Australia). The project has been providing uninterrupted access to quality health and psychosocial care to thousands of socially vulnerable people in Attica since 2019.
With the support of the Australian diaspora charity for the past five years, Médecins du Monde has been helping every day to improve the overall health status and prevent disease for people facing social inequalities in access to health services and living in precarious conditions.
THI Australia Public Health Project’s valuable assistance to the MdM Open Polyclinic in Athens ensures that beneficiaries of all ages, whose financial situation does not allow them to meet the cost of the relevant services, have access to quality health services, but also to personalised psychosocial support, counselling and administrative support. At the same time, with appropriate medication and the possibility of vaccination coverage and biochemical tests, specialised, case-by-case care, continuous monitoring of chronically ill patients, as well as access to medical supplies and essentials are offered.
More specifically, during the previous four cycles of cooperation with The Hellenic Initiative Australia, the program offered primary health care and psychosocial support services to a total of 14,082 beneficiaries, with the number of visits to the clinics of the MdM Open Polyclinic in Athens amounting to 26.534 and the number of medical and psychosocial actions exceeded 50.149, thus bridging the gap between Public Health and Primary Care for vulnerable social groups and strengthening the efforts of MdM for universal, equal and dignified access to health and social care.
It should be noted that, in the framework of the project, health professionals emphasize the integration of beneficiaries into the NHS through appropriate information and guidance, while resolving procedural issues regarding social security status, housing conditions, basic income, access to housing and enrolment of children in school and/or sports activities. The approach of the THI Australia Public Health Project is, moreover, to resolve the immediate health needs of beneficiaries while building their resilience and health awareness so that they become self-sufficient in using the services of the public health system.