Kyriakos Mitsotakis: “The thessaloniki International fair (TIF) is over, the battle of everyday life begins” – Schools and the National Health System (NHS) are the first areas of focus

With the government starting the process of codifying the Prime Minister’s announcements from the podium of the Thessaloniki International Fair last Saturday, the Maximos Mansion has decided not to waste any time and to “throw themselves” into the daily battles. As a result, this morning at 11:00 AM, the political leadership of the Ministry of Health will pass through the doors of Maximos Mansion.

Yesterday, one of the first meetings convened by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, after the government returned from Thessaloniki, concerned the “Marietta Giannakou” program, which focuses on important interventions that must proceed for the renovation of school buildings.

Σύσκεψη με αντικείμενο την υλοποίηση του προγράμματος «Μαριέττα Γιαννάκου» για την ανακαίνιση σχολικών εγκαταστάσεων. Θα διατεθούν συνολικά 250 εκ. ευρώ από το Πρόγραμμα Δημόσιων Επενδύσεων και οι εργασίες προγραμματίζεται να αρχίσουν στις αρχές του 2025. https://t.co/0j1KKmxzVa pic.twitter.com/4SM3a2yJ2a

— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) September 9, 2024

The program will include 250 million euros in resources, to be provided from the Public Investment Program. Kyriakos Mitsotakis will personally engage with private entities, such as the Union of Greek Shipowners, to secure additional funding.

Ideally, the government would like to double the 250 million euros, but in the end, private donations might range between 100 to 150 million euros. After all, public-private cooperation worked well in Thessaly, where 33 schools were built in just seven months, either through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) or direct actions from private entities.

The focus will be on plastering, upgrading “Turkish toilets,” and improving sports facilities in schools. In certain selected cases, there will be vertical interventions, involving the complete renovation of the school building. In the coming weeks, municipalities will need to respond to a questionnaire that will be sent to them, detailing their priorities. The Ministry of Education will submit the file with the needs to the Public Buildings Service by the end of the month. The procedures for the tenders will begin immediately, aiming to conclude by the end of the year, so that work can start in the new year.

Digital School and Tutoring

The current days have a “school” atmosphere, as the Prime Minister, on Wednesday morning before departing for Vienna, will attend a school for the traditional blessing ceremony. At the end of the week, he is expected to connect with Gavdos, together with the Minister of Education, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, as for the first time this year, a digital middle school class will be established on the island, so its sole student doesn’t have to seek solutions in Crete. Moreover, next week, Mr. Mitsotakis is expected to observe the operation of the digital tutoring system for senior high school students during his visit to the Ministry of Education, as this new initiative is set to launch on September 16. This is one of the 11 major changes discussed in a recent meeting at Maximos Mansion regarding the reopening of schools.

The Battle for the NHS

At the same time, Mr. Mitsotakis has highlighted that one of the government’s top political priorities — on which he wishes to be judged in 2027 — is the overhaul of the National Health System (NHS). This morning, the political leadership of the Ministry, headed by Adonis Georgiadis, will be at Maximos Mansion, ahead of Wednesday’s announcements regarding the immediate interventions being planned.

It should be noted that the government has announced that the NHS on-call shifts will be taxed separately at 22%. Additionally, it has unveiled income incentives for remote areas, which will also be supported by institutional measures. Key objectives in the coming period include progress on the work being done in many hospital and health center buildings, interventions in Emergency Departments (EDs), and new hires, such as trauma attendants, to significantly reduce patient waiting times. Furthermore, in the coming period, European funding will “unlock” 37,000 free afternoon surgeries for patients who have been waiting for months or even years for a procedure.

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