One of the goals of the "Alexander S. Onassis" Charitable Foundation (which was founded in 1975 by the daughter of
Aristotle Onassis,
Christina) was the creation of a modern cardiac surgery center in Athens, since, while cardiac surgeries had already begun to be performed in Greece, the capabilities of state hospitals could not meet the needs of the Greek population, resulting in the ever-increasing exodus of a large number of heart patients abroad. Construction work began in October 1987 (the foundation stone was laid on October 8, 1987, by the then Prime Minister
Andreas Papandreou (1919-1996), who was to become the most famous patient of Onassios) and was completed in September 1992. On October 6, 1992, the official opening of the operation took place of the center. A large part of the total cost was allocated to furnishing the center with the most advanced technical means of operation and the most modern scientific instruments. ==References==