Greece’s victory over the pandemic

6 June 2020

Greece has been praised worldwide for its efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus. Under the guidance of NPHO, the Greek government introduced major measures in early March, such as shutting down schools, restaurants, bars, shopping malls, and museums, to limit citizens’ mobility within urban centres. The majority of Greeks reacted positively, by staying home and keeping the safety distance, while a complete lockdown was implemented before the peak of the outbreak. These measures contributed significantly to the low death rate across the country.

At the same time, the government made efforts to strengthen the Greek NHS both directly and indirectly. The government’s direct support focused on hiring additional medical/nursing staff and purchasing more medical supplies, while on the indirect side, it announced an open call to innovative and mature digital solutions that can contribute to the fight against COVID-19. More specifically, the Ministry of Digital Governance launched the #GreeceVsVirus initiative on April 14, which is linked to the European Commission’s #EUvsVirus competition and aims to pursue new innovative ideas to address the needs of the National Health System against the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 250 companies participated in the competition, with proposals mainly focused on digital health. More than 160 proposals were considered mature and were subsequently evaluated by a reputable committee. 55 of them passed to the next phase and were invited to present their solutions to a new committee during an online event. Docandu participated in the online event and qualified for the final phase of the competition, which took place on June 2. There, Docandu, together with 15 other participants, presented how it could support government agencies in fighting the negative effects of COVID-19 and help Greece recover from the pandemic. Deputy Ministers Grigoris Zarifopoulos (Digital Strategy) and Vassilis Kontozamanis (Health) and several journalists were among the audience in the final phase.

Docandu’s proposal “COVID19 Symptom Checker” suggests a digital self-assessment solution that not only provides an easy-to-use tool for assessing the coronavirus infection risk but also decongests the call centers and Greek NHS. Since the beginning of the pandemic, docandu, in collaboration with the Athens Medical Association and the Region of Attica (the biggest administrative region in Greece), has provided self-assessment services to more than 20,000 citizens. Docandu welcomes the initiative of the Greek government and hopes for closer cooperation with the government agencies and the relevant ministries.