With the participation of leading representatives from the broader healthcare sector, the Healthcare Business Awards 2023 ceremony was successfully held on Monday, October 2023. The institution, which rewards best practices in entrepreneurship, innovation, and social contribution in the healthcare sector, was organized for the 8th consecutive year by Boussias Events and Health Daily.
At this year’s Healthcare Business Awards 2023, during yet another distinguished ceremony by Boussias Events celebrating Excellence in Innovation, Healthcare, Digital Technologies, and Investments, the Kapa3 team was honored for its efforts to establish social support for oncology patients as a core pillar of their holistic care. We firmly believe that such support must be appropriate, sufficient, and provided in a timely manner by the right people.
The fifteen-member judging committee, composed of distinguished scientists and CEOs of healthcare-related companies and organizations, awarded Kapa3 for its overall contribution during its 3.5 years of operation, its persistent and demanding efforts toward equal and universal access for the population, and the creation of frontline collaborative groups. The Evaluation Committee was chaired by Mr. Nektarios Tavernarakis, Vice President of the European Research Council (ERC), Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Professor at the Medical School of the University of Crete, and Board Member of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. The committee also included executives from the pharmaceutical sector, company consultants, patient associations, leading physicians and academics, as well as representatives of institutional bodies, among others.
With a total of three awards—GOLD, SILVER, and BRONZE—which we owe to all those who believed in and embraced our vision, to the unwavering support of our supporters and sponsors, our valued partners, and our beneficiaries, who with abundant kindness give us the strength to continue. The award categories are as follows:
GOLD Award for the Kapa3 Mobile Information and Management Units
in the category “Social Welfare, Structures”
BRONZE Award for the Contribution to Health by the Cancer Guidance Center – Kapa3
in the category “Contribution to Health by NGOs”
SILVER Award for the Mobile Information and Management Unit for Oncology Patients at the University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis
in the category “Quality of Services & Patient Care”
A few words about the Mobile Units
The first Mobile Information and Management Unit began operating at Theageneio Anticancer Hospital of Thessaloniki, one of the largest oncology hospitals in Northern Greece, in collaboration with the Research Laboratory “Care of Adult Cancer Patients” of the Department of Nursing at the International Hellenic University. There, K3 staff and volunteers process patient requests guided by the ideal of “personalized care” for oncology patients, as well as by fostering “trust between patients and healthcare professionals.”
Its successful course, along with research and regional mapping, led to the creation of the second Mobile Information and Management Unit. The mapping data and the field experience of Kapa3’s staff guided us to the region of Thrace—an area characterized by geographical particularities, population heterogeneity, and distance from centers of authority.
The second unit operates in a specially designed space within the University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis. Its aim is to provide comprehensive information to patients and their families, ensuring equal access to healthcare structures, the assertion of their rights, and their social reintegration.
Long-term goals of the Mobile Units
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Improvement of patients’ quality of life
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Empowerment and active participation of cancer patients in self-care and active prevention
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Reduction of required human resources and healthcare costs for the long-term management of cancer patients and survivors
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Creation of a group of informed and empowered patients capable of addressing cancer-related issues, as well as a sensitized local community
Kapa3 was founded in March 2020, with priority given to citizens’ accessibility to beneficial provisions of existing legislation, as well as to the utilization of existing structures and services operating for this purpose throughout Greece.
In collaboration with related private-interest associations, public services, NGOs, and other solidarity bodies, Kapa3 succeeded in creating a website that functions as a continuously updated and renewed guide to Rights and Benefits for people living with cancer, while mobile information and management teams operate in parallel, ensuring equal access for patients and caregivers.
However, nothing would have been achieved without faith in the work of Kapa3 and in the vision of providing holistic care to oncology patients—a vision first embraced by the members of the Kapa3 team, who stand on the front line, acting with a human-centered approach focused on patients and their families.
The strength of this team, together with our valued partners, enables actions and initiatives with maximum social impact and outstanding new collaborations with entities such as academic institutions, major hospitals across the country, scientific societies, and, of course, civil society organizations.
On behalf of the entire Kapa3 team,
we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Translation: Ifiyenia Anastasiou for Kapa3