Victorian Health Minister Meets With Governor Patoulis

Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, along with Deputy Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece, and President of the Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria Bill Papastergiadis OAM, recently met outgoing Governor Giorgos Patoulis in Athens.

They discussed the recent agreement between the medical faculties of the Universities of Melbourne, Athens, and Patras, facilitating the exchange of students, academics, and researchers. Governor Patoulis, as President of the Athens Medical Association, played a key role in this MOU, with input from the Greek Community of Melbourne and Associate Professor Pirpiris.

Minister Thomas highlighted the importance of strengthening the Australia-Greece relationship, highlighting Victoria’s strong Hellenic presence.

Minister Thomas also inquired about lessons learned by the Hellenic Department of Health from COVID-19 and was interested in the Greek Government’s responses and measures.

The Minister thanked Bill Papastergiadis for arranging the meeting and recognised his organization’s role in enhancing Australian-Greek university engagement.