ATHENS – The Greek Parliament ratified the donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to create a state-of-the-art hospital in Sparti and extend the measures related to the coronavirus pandemic, on Wednesday.

The ratification was included in a health ministry bill that was supported by ruling New Democracy and Movement for Change (KINAL), which voted for it in principle, while main opposition SYRIZA voted “present” and all other parties voted against the health bill.

The bill included provisions for an emergency benefit to be paid to vulnerable groups (low-income pensioners, people with disabilities, uninsured elderly persons and those receiving the Minimum Guaranteed Income or Child Benefit) to help them cope with the current wave of high prices. This was approved by all parties except MeRA25, which voted “present”.

The benefit is to be paid before Easter, specifically by April 21, following the relevant announcement made by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis earlier in March.

The total amount to be handed out is 324 million euros with an estimated 1.7 million beneficiaries. The measures will help roughtly 1.4 million households with more than 3.2 million members.