“The government’s social policy reaches all over Greece,” said the Minister of Social Cohesion and Family, Domna-Maria Michaelidou, from the prefecture of Pella, visiting Edessa and Giannitsa, where she met with local stakeholders and discussed problems of the region
Michailidou met in the morning at the Edessa Administration Building, with the deputy prefect of Pella, Iordanis Tzamtzi, in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Interior of Macedonia – Thrace Kostas Gioulekas, MPs of the prefecture of Pella and the Secretary General of Demographic and Housing Policy of the Ministry of Social Cohesion Konstantinos Gloumis-Atsalakis and after the end of the meeting she said:
“Today I am very happy to be back in Edessa, together with Kostas Gioulekas, the Deputy Minister of Interior (Macedonia – Thrace) and with our three MPs here, so that we can see how our current social policy is taking shape in the Greek region, let alone in Macedonia. And of course we were welcomed by the deputy regional governor to see what more we have to do.”
Michailidou stressed that the meeting discussed “the issues of demographics, housing, support for Macedonia and the region” and, among other things, the issue of the Non-Profit Civil Society of the Elderly Care Unit of Edessa “Evangelos and Amalia Diza”, in Kleissochori Edessa.
The Edessa Elderly Care Unit was visited and inaugurated, while the meeting was in progress, by the Secretary General of Social Solidarity and Poverty Alleviation Konstantinos Megaritis and the Secretary General for Equality and Human Rights of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family Katerina Patsogianni.
“We leave with a promise that we are providing a viable solution to our nursing home here,” Michailidou said, and continued: “We have the elderly care unit, which needs a financial support and by discussing with our MPs, the deputy minister and the deputy regional governor, we have committed that the ministry will certify it, of course doing all the necessary actions so that in three different ways it can receive financial support and we will see what is being done in the administrative reform part.”
“Problems are not solved even only in the offices, they are solved in the place where they exist,” added Deputy Minister of Interior of Macedonia – Thrace Costas Gioulekas, adding: “The fact that the Minister is here today – I think it goes without saying that I am here because it is my institutional responsibility for Macedonia and Thrace, so I have to be here all the time – but the fact that our Minister is here shows exactly the interest of the Kyriakos Mitsotakis government to solve the problems on the ground where they exist.”
“I want to thank the Minister, Mrs. Michaelidou warmly because her visit really commits the government to move forward with a project,” said Pella’s deputy prefect Iordanis Tzamtzis and continued: “The operation of the nursing home here in Edessa is important and of course, with the actions of the Ministry and ours, there will be a substantial administrative reform, but at the same time the nursing home will be strengthened and supported to continue the great work it is doing.”
The Minister of Social Cohesion and Family Affairs then visited the Giannitsa Town Hall, where she met with the Mayor of Pella, Efstathios Fountoukidis.
“The social policy of the New Democracy government reaches all of Greece, especially Macedonia,” Michailidou said after the meeting and continued: “We were in the municipality of Pella after Edessa, so that we could hear, see and discuss all the government benefits, but also the social services that reach all of Macedonia. All the policies that are here and exist to help families. From accessibility and the 20 beneficiaries who have already received the money to fix their homes, the personal assistant, which we have people here in Pella and Aridea using their personal assistant, the “Neighborhood Nanny” program that has opened and we already have the first registrations and from citizens of Pella who benefit from “My House 1” and “My House 2,” through which 300 people here from the Pella prefecture have acquired their own homes. We are here, we are all over Greece to discuss, to act, to change and to empower every family, wherever they are.”
“We discussed the social structures of the municipality and the social work that is being done,” said Pella Mayor Fountoukidis, adding: “We also analyzed some phenomena of the time, I believe that throughout Greece these apply, that we have increased investigations for abused women for incidents of domestic violence and neglect of minors I believe that it is a problem that concerns all of Greece and, in my opinion, there has always been, perhaps even more acute, just recently the mouths are opening and that is the pleasant thing. We may be seeing the numbers grow, but I’m keeping the pleasant part of finally opening mouths and not burying them behind closed doors and windows. We talked about programs run by the Ministry that many of our fellow citizens are beneficiaries of and how we as a municipality can help so that these Ministry programs become known to the local community and even more of our fellow citizens benefit … All together – concluded the mayor – if we work together, I think we can improve the quality of life of our citizens”.
