Access to specialized palliative care services remains limited for patients living in islands and remote parts of Greece. The lack of specialized structures and transportation challenges place a significant burden on patients with serious and chronic diseases, as well as on their families and caregivers.
It is in this context that the Jenny Karezi Foundation runs a Telepalliative Care service in the Dodecanese, with the support of the Bodossaki Foundation and the TIMA Charitable Foundation.
Specifically, the Jenny Karezi Foundation’s Palliative Care Unit is connected to the hospitals on Rhodes, Karpathos, Kos, Leros and Kalymnos via the National Telemedicine Network and provides the following remotely:
- medical monitoring
- guidance to patients and caregivers on symptom management
- psychosocial support for patients and caregivers
- round-the-clock scientific advice to local medical staff.
Over the first year of its implementation, 500 patients and 650 caregivers will benefit directly from the service. By providing in-time support and enhancing its beneficiaries’ quality of life, irrespective of where they live, the development of telemedicine services in the Dodecanese fills a crucial gap.