GIVMED
Nearly 2.300.000 individuals in Greece live below the poverty line, making it extremely
difficult for them to afford their basic needs, such as the access to the medicine they need.
The paradox however is that at the same time, an estimated 34.000.000 packs of medicine
expire in the households and as a result are thrown away in the trash each year. Additionally,
extensive amounts of medicine are withdrawn from pharmaceutical companies and destroyed
due to forthcoming expiration dates, thus discrediting their value as a social asset.
GIVMED | Share medicine Share life , is a non-profit organization which ensures the access
of socially vulnerable groups to the medicine they need (elderly, kids, poor, refugees,
mental disorders etc.). The organization was established in March of 2016 and till June of
2020 has dispensed more than 91.297 packs of medicine worth of 924.911 euros through a
network of 180 beneficiary donation points.
The goal of this organization is accelerated with activities which build upon four axes:
1. Develop an efficient web-network of both public and private actors for the
donation of medicine in socially vulnerable groups. The organization collaborates
mainly with social pharmacies, nursing homes, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies
and utilized the data from all actions to improve the services.
2. Inform the public on access to medicine. Both campaigns and events are conducted
in order for the public to be able to donate excess medicine, as well as to inform the
socially vulnerable groups where they can collect the medicine they need.
3. Improve the legislative framework regarding the donation of medicine by citizens.
The organization is conducting research and studies legislative systems and solid
practices that exist in other countries and contributes to the creation of a national
legal framework.
4. Provide training to socially vulnerable groups and health professionals on
medicine-related issues . The organization brings up issues such as medicine
management, the compliance of patients with special treatment and bridging
intercultural differences on health issues through educational materials and seminars
for health professionals and socially vulnerable groups.
Openness , collaboration and technology are key tools used to achieve the goals on each of
the above axes.
In its 4 years of operation, GIVMED has won European Innovation Awards , has collaborated
with important organizations such as IFET, the Medical School of Athens, the National Bank
of Greece, the TIMA public benefit foundation, the Ioannis S. Latsis public benefit foundation,
The Hellenic Initiative, the Vodafone foundation, among others and has been broadcasted in
major media platforms in Greece and abroad (BBC, EPT, AlPHA, Kathimerini, ETHNOS).
More information about our work can be found on the givemed.org website, in the video of
the ‘’Garbage does not need medicine’’ campaign (here) and on the BBC World Hacks video
(here) .
