The Onassis Hospital, including the brand-new National Transplant Center and Children Unit, was delivered to the Greek State, exclusively donated by the Onassis Foundation
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
The new, unified, and fully digitized Onassis Hospital marks a milestone in the evolution of healthcare in Greece — a hospital for all, dedicated to public, equal, and modern medical care.
Photo: Andreas Simopoulos
In a landmark moment for the history of healthcare in Greece, the new Onassis Hospital was presented, a project made possible through an exclusive donation from the Onassis Foundation. With the delivery of the new building, the Onassis Hospital now comprises the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, which has undergone a complete renovation and been equipped with cutting-edge medical equipment; the Onassis National Transplant Center, which will serve as a catalyst for the advancement of organ donation and transplantation in Greece; and the Onassis Children’s Unit, dedicated to pediatric cardiology, pediatric cardiac surgery, and pediatric transplants.
Existing and new facilities form a new, unified ecosystem operating within a modern digital environment, effectively making the Onassis Hospital the first fully digitized hospital in Greece. The new facilities are already operational and open to the public.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Konstantinos Tasoulas, and the Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, along with many other guests, including government ministers, members of parliament, secretaries-general of ministries, prominent members of the medical community, academics, university professors, heads of patient associations, doctors, nurses, and staff of the Onassis Hospital, and members of the Boards of Directors of the Onassis Hospital and the Onassis Foundation.
The Archdiocese was represented by the Protosyncellus, Bishop Varnavas of Christoupolis, while the event was honored by the presence of His Eminence Nikolaos, Metropolitan of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki.
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Photo: Andreas Simopoulos
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Photo: Andreas Simopoulos
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Photo: Andreas Simopoulos
The Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, after thanking the Onassis Foundation for completing this major donation, stated among other things: “Marking its 50th year of life, the Onassis Foundation delivers a project that will also give life. It is the new Onassis Hospital, which, in addition to the upgraded Cardiac Surgery Center, as we have known it for the past 32 years, will also include the National Transplant Center and the Onassis Children’s Unit, three state-of-the-art facilities specializing in critical medical fields, which will collectively strengthen the capabilities of our National Health System.”
The President of the Onassis Hospital, Professor Ioannis N. Boletis, pointed out in his address: “Another significant advantage of the Onassis Hospital is its capacity to collaborate with clinics and doctors of the National Health System and universities, as well as with clinics and doctors abroad. Our goal is for the new Onassis Hospital to continue with the same dedication, sensitivity, and commitment to providing high-quality care to every person in need. Because every patient embodies a unique human journey, a distinct story of hope, faith, and struggle for life.”
The President of the Onassis Foundation, Mr. Anthony S. Papadimitriou, describing the vision and the implementation process of this national donation, emphasized, among other things: “The new Onassis Hospital we deliver today represents the very latest in medical science and technology—a hospital for all. It is not merely a project. It is a promise that every human life matters. That healthcare can be public, equal, and modern. And that together—the State, the scientific community, and citizens—we can transform not only the level of healthcare in our country, but also the very definition of what is possible.”
During the inauguration ceremony, the Prime Minister was given a tour of the hospital’s new facilities and was briefed by the medical and nursing staff on its new expanded clinics and therapeutic capabilities, including the hospital’s hybrid operating rooms, robotic systems, and new, state-of-the-art hemodynamic laboratories.
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The Hellenic Transplant Organization (EOM) is responsible for the National Strategy on Transplants. The Onassis Hospital has joined forces with EOM to collaborate, support, and facilitate efforts to increase donations and transplants of solid organs. In addition to heart and lung transplants, which are performed exclusively at the Onassis Hospital, it also carries out kidney transplants for low-weight pediatric patients from living donors (usually parents), which until now had only been performed abroad. Plans are also underway for pediatric liver transplants from living donors. For all these medical procedures, the Onassis Hospital works closely with public hospitals across Greece, such as the “Attikon” University General Hospital for lung transplants, and “Laiko” General Hospital of Athens and “Panagiotis and Aglaia Kyriakou” Children’s Hospital of Athens for kidney transplants. This fulfills the commitment made by the Onassis Foundation five years ago, during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new hospital, to establish a nationwide transplant network, enabling the country to meet its transplant needs independently in the near future.
Work on the new Onassis Hospital began in 2019. The Onassis Foundation’s donation amounts to €82 million, the majority of which was allocated to the construction of the new building, a four-story facility housing the new medical units. The existing Cardiac Surgery Center was also completely renovated through this donation. The combined capacity of the new, unified hospital now reaches 185 inpatient beds and 54 ICU beds. The donation also included the procurement and installation of state-of-the-art medical equipment worth €25 million, as well as the digital transformation of the unified hospital, which provides multiple possibilities for both healthcare professionals and patients.
The donation continues with an additional €10 million investment over the coming years, as part of the “Hospital of the Future” initiative, to fund more than 50 innovations. The new infrastructure not only increases the hospital’s capacity but also expands its therapeutic and clinical capabilities through hybrid operating rooms, robotic systems, and new, state-of-the-art hemodynamic laboratories.
