Onassis Foundation in Palermo to study the ISMETT model

The visit was an initiative of the Foundation, which collaborates with the Greek Government with the aim of creating a multi-organ transplant center in Greece. “Prior to ISMETT, Sicilian patients were forced to face the so-called journeys of hope to other countries, especially Belgium, France, and other Northern European countries, in order to receive a transplant,” explained Dr. Angelo Luca, Director of ISMETT. ISMETT is a multi-organ transplant center born from the partnership between the Sicilian Region and UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center). “Today our hospital is not only able to treat Sicilian patients, but can also offer this therapeutic option to patients from other countries.

Thanks to the agreement signed between the Italian and the Greek governments, many Greek patients have been transplanted at ISMETT,” continued Dr. Luca. “We believe that, thanks to the experience gained in over 25 years and to our partnership with UPMC, ISMETT can become a model to be replicated in other Mediterranean countries.”

During their visit in Palermo, the Foundation delegates met with the medical directors and attended a presentation on the IT systems of ISMETT that, according to the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Digital Health Most Wired annual ranking, is one of the two most technologically advanced European centers in the “Acute” category along with the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The Foundation, founded by Aristotle Onassis, operates in the fields of culture, education and health care with the aim of promoting activities related to Greece. Ever since its foundation in 1992, the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center (OCSC) is committed to the continuing improvement of social and health care services in Greece.

“We would like to congratulate the people who created this unique hospital and the local community for hosting it,” said Ioannis N. Boletis President of the Board of Directors, OCSC. “We express our gratitude to the staff of ISMETT for their hospitality and for the opportunity to exchange ideas on solid organ donation, transplants, and hospital management. We will explore potential ways for future collaborations in the fields of transplantation, education and research.”