The Taipei Representative Office (TRO) in Greece, on behalf of the people and government of Taiwan, donates another portable defibrillator to the regional unit of Thesprotia in the north-western part of Greece on Monday, November 11, 2024.
Aaron C. W. Hsu, Charge d'Affaires of the TRO, Vasileios Giogiakas, Member of the New Democracy in the Hellenic Parliament, and President of the Krystallopigi community, Mrs. Tsiola, participate in the donation ceremony.
“As we know, defibrillators can save a life for someone who is under a sudden cardiac arrest, by creating an electrical charge to stop the heart's abnormal rhythm and then to start a normal rhythm again,” Mr. Hsu says, adding that “such medical equipment will be critically useful for the patients in the region, should an emergency arise.”
“Taiwan, just like Greece, is a medium-sized country facing many challenges. But Taiwan and Greece will continue helping each other to make the world better and safer,” he adds. Mr. Hsu also thanks Mr. Giogiakas, who initiates such humanitarian cause and has long served the Krystallopigi village and greater Thesprotia area to promote health rights and social benefits for the local.
Ms. Tsiola, who is also a nurse by profession, expressed gratitude to the Taiwanese delegation for its kind sponsorship and to the parliamentarian Mr. Giogiakas for his valuable contacts that contributed to the implementation of this initiative.
The defibrillator is received by the Christos Tsouras, Director of the Filiaton General Hospital, and Mrs. Tsiola, witnessed by the hospital’s faculty members.
After the ceremony, the TRO Charge d'Affaires is invited to inspect the Filiaton town hall, where he meets with the Mayor Vasileios Tzigkos and deputy mayors to discuss possible cooperation in the fields of healthcare and medical technologies between Taiwan and Greece.
According to the TRO, Taiwan has been a close friend with Greece. In 2019, the TRO donated a bunch of computers, projectors and speakers to 14 primary schools and kindergartens on the island of Lefkada. In 2020, the TRO donated milk, diapers and other livelihood goods to The Smile of the Child, a non-governmental organization based in Athens supporting children and their families in need. During the coronavirus pandemic, Taiwan also donated medical masks to Greece.
Today’s defibrillator is the second one donated by Taiwan to the Thesprotia region. The first one was donated on the afternoon of last Saturday, November 3, 2024, and installed at the Agricultural Clinic of Asprokklisiou.
Aaron C. W. Hsu (center), Charge d'Affaires of the Taipei Representative Office in Greece, donates an automatic defibrillator on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan to the Filiaton Hospital in the Thesprotia region Nov. 11, 2024.
