PRESS RELEASE

Awareness Campaign for InMed-TouR, “Innovative Medical Tourism Strategy”,

funded under the Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme

The Awareness Campaign of the project InMed-TouR – “Innovative Medical Tourism Strategy”, co-funded for 897.703,80€ by the Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme 2014-2020, is organized by the National Organization for Health Care Services Provision – EOPYY and will be held on the 30^th of May 2019 at 11.00 a.m. – 13.00 p.m in the Hall of the Library and Amphitheaters building of the University of Patras.

The National Organization for Health Care Services Provision – EOPYY- (Regional Directorate of Ioannina) is the lead beneficiary of this project in cooperation with two Greek partners, the Ministry of Tourism and the University of Patras – Special Account for Research Grants, Department of Business Administration and two Italian partners, the Municipality of Santa Cesarea Terme and the Chamber of Commerce of Brindisi.

The Awareness Campaign will privilege an integrated approach, capable of ensuring high visibility to the project to a specific audience, the medical students of the University of Patras. The objective of the campaign is to inform and raise awareness to the students of the Medical School of the University of Patras, regarding the actions of the project.

In the context of the Awareness Campaign an Info-Point will be set up in the Hall of the Library and Amphitheaters building of the University of Patras. The Info-Point will be equipped with printed information material (i.e. project brochures) in order to be distributed to the students as well as two people responsible for informing the students regarding the project and answering any further questions. Additionally, posters of the project will be placed in places with high visibility. The objectives that will be achieved through this event are the following:

• The medical students will learn about the project and its basic idea, Health Tourism.
• The campaign will act as a platform in order to inform medical students about what makes the project unique.

• The people responsible for the Info-Point will inform the students that Health Tourism can have an impact on their professional development and encourage them to:

• research to a greater extent about the position of Greece in the landscape of Health Tourism, as well as the dynamics of the development of Health Tourism in Greece.
• research to a greater extent about Health Tourism Categories in Greece that have or could have a competitive advantage compared to neighboring countries. Therefore, medical students will have the opportunity to become acquainted with their professional perspectives to specialize –if they choose to-in the areas of Medicine, in which Greece has a comparative advantage.

InMed-Tour, financed under Priority Axis 1 – Innovation and Competitiveness, with a budget of 897.703,80€, introduces a new type of touristic product called “health tourism”, which refers to the process of travelling outside the country of residence for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment. The project will deliver a Cross-Border effort for bringing together the health and research industries with the local enterprises. This will be achieved through the creation of a modernized e-Cluster, where medical information from both countries will be stored for the exchange of know-how and good practices. An e-Tour Facilitator will also be developed, which will offer matching services for the patients looking for health and touristic units to receive the treatment.

Overall, the project will deliver a whole new touristic product with high added value and will bring together research entities with enterprises to improve their access to R&D and Innovation.

National Organization for Health Care Services Provision – Project Manager

Christina Georgakopoulou +30 2108110826 cgeorgakop@eopyy.gov.gr

National Organization for Health Care Services Provision – Communication Officer

Eirini Mprachou +30 2651079738 empracho@gmail.com

Regione Puglia – Joint Secretariat Communication Officer

Carmela Sfregola +39 3493916007 c.sfregola@greece-italy.eu; press@greece-italy.eu

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www.greece-italy.eu

Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme is a European Territorial Cooperation Programme that aims to help public institutions and local stakeholders to develop cross-border projects and pilot actions and to create new policy, products and services, with the final goal to improve the citizens’ quality of life. Strategically, the programme will enhance innovation in a number of fields such as blue growth, tourism and culture, agro food and cultural and creative industries. Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme aims to get maximum return from EUR 123 million financed per 85% by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and per 15% by the 2 member states through a national co-financing.