The Deputy Minister of National Defence Thanasis Davakis and the Chairman of the National Transplant Organisation’s Board of Directors Georgios Papatheodoridis signed today, Tuesday 25 November 2025, the renewal of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of National Defence and the National Transplant Organisation (EOM), which had been signed for the first time on 12 December 2022.

The ceremony that was held at the Ministry of National Defence was honoured on the part of the military leadership, by the presence of the Chief HNGS Vice Admiral Dimitrios – Eleftherios Kataras, representing the Chief HNDGS, the Chief HAFGS Lieutenant General Dimosthenis Grigoriadis, the Director HNDGS/MED DIR Major General Konstantinos Siafakas, the Director HAGS/MED DIR Major General Georgios Dimitrakopoulos representing the Chief HAGS, the President of the Higher Naval Medical Committee (ANYE) Commodore Ioannis Kyriazanos, while on the part of the Organisation, by the Head of the Directorate Stavros Kepentzis and the Head of the Cell Transplantation Department Anastasios Manolis.

The ceremony was also attended by the Secretary General of “ORAMA ELPIDAS” Association Ino Konstantopoulou, the Scientific Director of “ORAMA ELPIDAS” Association Stylianos Grafakos and the Scientific Director of the Bone Marrow Donor Center Alexandros Spyridonitis.

The purpose of the renewed Memorandum between the two parties is to inform and raise awareness among the Armed Forces’ personnel, through targeted actions, regarding the search for, receiving, and transporting hematopoietic stem cells transplants, treating patients with hematological diseases, and supporting the National Transplant Organisation’s work. The constant goal remains to attract new volunteer bone marrow donors.

Mr. Davakis, after signing the Memorandum, stated:

“The renewal of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of National Defence and the National Transplant Organisation confirms our shared desire to continue the important work begun by the previous political leadership and EOM, for the purpose of informing and raising awareness among the Armed Forces’ personnel regarding the search for, receiving, and transporting bone marrow transplants and increasing the number of volunteer bone marrow donors.

Since its establishment, the National Transplant Organisation has provided valuable services without interruption, contributing decisively to assisting the Ministry of Health’s transplant work, in terms of formulating and implementing national policy in the field of organ, tissue and cell donation and transplantation.

The members of the Armed Forces, with their characteristic sense of responsibility and social contribution, have been instrumental in this mission, actively supporting the National Transplant Organisation’s work. As an example, I would like to mention that from 2022 to date, 9.049 members of the Armed Forces have become volunteer bone marrow donors.

With the renewal of the Memorandum, the Ministry of National Defence confirms its firm commitment to promoting bone marrow donation and, hence safeguarding the most precious commodity of all: human life”.