Donations and the National Health System in the era of COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the contribution of donations to the Greek National Health System has been important. This article presents the donations made to the "AHEPA" University General Hospital of Thessaloniki, which was designated the Basic Reference Hospital for Macedonia and Thrace and has been selected as a case study. The research material consisted of the decisions of the Board of Directors of the "AHEPA" University General Hospital of Thessaloniki, for the period April-June 2020, which were posted on the government online program "Clarity". From the 157 board decisions studied, it is apparent that the donors come from the whole of Greek society, with most being from companies (98), although many donations from social entities and individuals are recorded. Donations for the period studied exceeded two million (sic) (2,154,613_58(sic)), an amount equivalent to 4.7% of the annual budget of the hospital. The types of donations vary, consisting mainly of medical equipment (1,892,434(sic)), and essential equipment (176,182.78 (sic)). Tackling the COVID-19 pandemic was considered to be everyone's business. In this context, donations have taken two directions, aiming at strengthening hospital equipment to provide better care for patients and at supporting health professionals.