Medical Intervention (Medin) was founded in Athens on March 8, 2004. Its founding members were doctors and nurses with a vision of serving people and providing humanitarian aid to vulnerable groups regardless of race, religion, or political beliefs.

In 2004, the social conditions in Greece and in neighboring countries, combined with the expertise of the founding team, led to the implementation of programs with medical and educational content. In the years that followed, Medin carried out interventions abroad, such as the control of the tuberculosis epidemic in the Seki region of Azerbaijan and the creation of a pilot wireless telemedicine system to deal with emergencies in Serbia, in collaboration with the University of Patras.

At the same time, in Greece, Medin implemented actions and programs for the social support of the Roma in Heraklion, Crete and in the municipality of Vrachnaika in Patras, and programs of medical and psychosocial support in the Migrants’ Detention Center in Athens. Moreover, Medical Intervention staff and volunteers were also at the First Reception Centers of Orestiada and Samos providing support to asylum seekers and refugees, including unaccompanied minors.

Today, 20 years later, Medin, as a Non-Governmental and Non-Profit organization, continues to function as a complementary body of the state to address social problems and ensure human rights. However, the economic crisis had consequences on the standard of living of many citizens, together with the successive humanitarian and social crises of recent years (refugee, health crisis/Covid-19, climate change), have increased the pressure on the field of action without correspondingly increasing the resources and support from the state for the implementation of interventions on the ground.

At the same time, changes have also been made internally within the organization. Some members left the Board of Directors and new members entered, while various volunteers sought stable work to earn a living.

What remains unchanged throughout all these years at Medin, however, is the realization of a vision to help wherever there is need, and support the right to life and dignity.

Through an interview-dialogue with Elpida Efthymiatou, former President and current Administrator of the organization, we attempt a review at Medin’s past and at the same time we intend to honor all the people who have contributed with their presence, their personal time, and their energy to society as a whole.

– How did you make the decision to work in the humanitarian sector?

I started working at the age of 18. I was a nurse in a large hospital in Athens, an eminently humanitarian profession, so when I retired early for family reasons I looked for ways I could continue giving back and so I joined the Doctors of the World volunteer group. There I took charge of the operation of the Polyclinic and contributed to the creation of a hostel for the homeless. Then together with other volunteer colleagues and doctors, we decided, for reasons of autonomy, to establish Medical Intervention and continue our humanitarian work from there.

– What led the organization to implement programs abroad?

In 2005 and 2006, the first years of Medical Intervention’s activity, tuberculosis rates in the Seki region of Azerbaijan were very high.

The area had an almost abandoned hospital, so the locals did not have adequate access to health services and no way to get medication for the disease. Thus, together with the medical school of Patras and with funding through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we decided to contribute to the improvement of the hospital’s facilities and to help distribute pharmaceuticals to treat tuberculosis in the area.

– Briefly, what changes have been made inside the organization?

What has changed within the main group of people, is that some of them who initially contributed as volunteers have looked for work, so their time spent in the organization has decreased.

A great loss for our organization was that a very important person with a great humanitarian activity abroad as well as inside the country passed away. Maria Athanasiou was a founding member and was one of the first to inspire and motivate us to establish the organization. She was the one who showed us the way of claiming what is self-evident and the right to life and dignity.

– What has been the most difficult for you in the operation of Medin as an NGO in Greece?

In recent years, we have been implementing programs funded by the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum regarding the protection of unaccompanied children. These programs are by their nature difficult since they are aimed at adolescent asylum seekers and refugees, from various countries of origin but also with different possibilities of staying and living in our country. However, the biggest difficulty we are facing is due to the late disbursements of funding from the Ministry. Not infrequently we have reached a financial dead-end because there is a mismatch between the resources we have at a given time and the resources we need in order to run the program, while adequately caring for our unaccompanied minors and our workers.

– What is your attitude towards developments regarding NGOs involved in financial and other offences? How does it affect you in terms of the visibility of your work?

It is very distressing to hear about financial malpractices by civil society organizations that are supposed to be set up to defend human rights. But this issue of financial “mismanagement” is quite easy to solve. In particular, the state has the mechanisms to carry out checks. As far as our own organization is concerned, to date we have been audited for 90% of the programs we have implemented and our organization is also being audited by chartered accountants. In terms of the promotion of our work, there is certainly now a prejudice from citizens in relation to the honesty and “purity” of non-profit organizations and there may be difficulty in trusting us. However, we have always maintained and maintain a low communication profile with respect primarily to the people we serve.

– What is it that rewards you every day?

To be honest, the smile of the children, knowing that we have created a milestone in meeting their needs and their well-being.

I also feel satisfied knowing that we offer work to people who work in the Shelters for Unaccompanied Minors, as times are difficult in the labor market as well, and that our organization helps fill gaps that are not met by the state.

– If you could go back in time, would you do anything differently?

I believe I would have made exactly the same choices regarding my involvement in the humanitarian sector, and for this I am proud.

– What do you hope for the future of the organization?

I would like us to continue implementing programs for unaccompanied minors, with the aim, if possible, to implement new and innovative ideas for their empowerment and integration into the community. We are open to getting involved in other areas as well, but most likely maintaining our humanitarian identity. At the same time, I hope that the organization will continue its course by integrating new people into its workforce, so that I can be released from the position of responsibility.