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Athens Medical Group, Greece, joins Imperial College Healthcare’s International Affiliate Network, becoming the first Affiliated Hospital Group in Europe 20 Mar 2024

We are very pleased to welcome the Athens Medical Group (Greece) as our third member to the Imperial College Healthcare International Affiliate Network.

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is building a global International Affiliate Network of dynamic healthcare organisations to promote high quality healthcare around the world, sharing knowledge, expertise and advancing patient care. Expert multidisciplinary teams from the Trust cooperate with member hospitals that maintain and deliver high quality clinical standards and practices, to mutually exchange know-how, experiences and knowledge. The agreement also allows for the possibility of the transfer of patients to the Trust’s private care facilities in London in highly specialised cases, if needed.

The Athens Medical Group is a leading healthcare provider in Greece and South-Eastern Europe that has been promoting medical excellence for the past 40 years. The Athens Medical Group with a total capacity of 1,200 hospital beds, employs more than 3,200 expert staff and 2,800 doctors across its seven hospitals in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece. The affiliation with Imperial College Healthcare has been established to further foster Athens Medical Group’s growth ambitions which include the building of a new, state of the art oncology medical centre in Thessaloniki, Greece, which is due to be inaugurated shortly.

Through the international affiliation, the two leading institutions will exchange expertise, specialisation, medical know-how, and knowledge, advancing their common cause of offering medical excellence and unparalleled services to patients worldwide. The Athens Medical Group will also gain advantageous access to tailored advisory input, advanced training platforms and leading experts who will partner and cooperate with the affiliate’s skilled personnel. Know-how and expertise will be exchanged regularly under the common aim of promoting healthcare solutions that improve the patient journey and treatments, especially in the field of oncology. The Athens Medical Group’s clinicians and staff will also benefit from knowledge transfer from Imperial College Healthcare, gaining opportunities to cooperate systematically with leading international clinicians and experts. Moreover, the Athens Medical Group’s clinicians will be able to participate in advanced multidisciplinary team meetings and obtain second opinions from Imperial College Healthcare’s private care specialists.

This is the first affiliation for Imperial College Healthcare in Europe. The Department for Business and trade (Athens) and Department for Business and Trade (Healthcare UK) in London, provided support to both Athens Medical Group and Imperial College Healthcare to enter this affiliation. This is in line with the NHS Long Term Plan to transfer knowledge and expertise internationally, to promote high quality and safe healthcare across the world.

The international affiliation agreement was successfully negotiated by Dr Vassili Apostolopoulos, Chief Executive, Giorgos Zerdilas, Chief Managing Director of Athens Medical Group, Costis Hadjiyannakis, Corporate Affairs Director and Dr Brunel Eiliazadeh, Head of Commercial and Innovation, Alistair Russell, Director of Business Development for Private Care and Nick Fox, Executive Commercial Director of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

All funds generated by the international affiliate programme are reinvested back into the Trust, supporting both NHS and private healthcare.

Find out more information about Athens Medical Group: www.athensmedicalgroup.com

Find out more information about the International Affiliate Network

Image: Professor Tim Orchard, Chief Executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, signing an international affiliation agreement with Dr Vassili Apostolopoulos, Chief Executive of Athens Medical Group, Greece, at the Department for Business and Trade; Old Admiralty Building, Whitehall UK (19/03/2024). The signing was witnessed by Lord Malcom Offord, Minister for Exports and H. E. Yannis Tsaousis, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic.