Giorgos Gennimatas: He died today 30 years ago

30 years ago today, Giorgos Gennimatas, one of the historical figures of PASOK, who is considered the “father” of the National Health System in Greece, died.

Giorgos Gennimatas was born on June 30, 1939 and was a founding member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), while he served as an MP and minister during the governments of Andreas Papandreou. He died today, April 25, 1994, from cancer. He grew up in Athens, attended the 1st Gymnasium of Plaka and studied civil engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (E.M.P.). He married Ekaterini (Kakia) Vergou, daughter of a postal clerk in Symi, with whom he had been together since their teenage years. Together they had two daughters, Fofi, later president of PASOK, and Mary.

After his studies and his tenure, he founded and managed the design and construction company “Architechanki EPE”, while he was an executive of the Agricultural Bank until 1981, when he resigned. In Agricultural Bank he was the head of the Agricultural Industries department, the Technical Projects Directorate of the Agricultural Bank and therefore, many agricultural industries have his signature in their construction studies: Among them, the Nestle factory in Plati Imathia, the Oil Mill in Aspropyrgos and buildings of the Pedestrian Union in Crete. From 1974 to 1978 he was the president of the Civil Engineers Association of Greece.

Giorgos Gennimatas was one of the founding members of PASOK and was a candidate for the 1st District of Athens in the parliamentary elections of November 17, 1974. From 1975 he was a member of the Central Committee and then of the Executive Office of the party, while he is considered one of the most influential figures of the time, especially in the PASOK Youth. He was a member of the so-called “Troika” or “Triandrias” (Tsochatzopoulos-Gennimatas-Laliotis) who expressed and represented the president in all central and regional bodies and at all levels of the party. From 1981 he was elected as a deputy of PASOK, first of Epikratia (without a cross), then a deputy of Messinia (with the list, 1985) and then A’ of Athens (first in crosses, from 1989). He was Minister of the Interior from 1981 to 1984, Minister of Health, Welfare and Social Insurance from 1984 to 1987 when introduced the reform of the NHS and Minister of Labor from 1987 to 1989. He was a parliamentary representative of PASOK from April 1989. In the universal Zolota government he was Minister of National Economy. In the elections of October 10, 1993, which PASOK won, he was elected first in the A’ district of Athens and was sworn in again as Minister of National Economy and Finance.

He died in Athens on April 25, 1994, from cancer. After his death and to honor his work in the field of Health, many hospitals in Greece were named after him, the most famous being the General Hospital of Athens Giorgos Gennimatas. With George Gennimatas, in addition to the ESY, their Recognition has been connected National Resistancethe return of political refugees of the Democratic Army and the vote at 18.

PASOK president Nikos Androulakis made a post in memory of Giorgos Gennimatas on X (Twitter):

With information from Wikipedia