Our History

HelMSIC was founded in 1958 at the Medical School of Athens. Initially, it was known as the “Exchanging Committee” of the Athens Medical Students’ Association, with the English name “GreMSIC”.

GreMSIC was one of the organisations that contributed to the formation of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) since the first decade of its life. The purpose of both IFMSA and GreMSIC at that time was to establish a network of communication between medical students worldwide and mutual exchanges of medical students in order to sensitize them in the international character of the medical profession. At the same time, actions were taken to exchange ideas on improving medical education.

A decade later, the Local Committee of Thessaloniki was established and incorporated into the organisation, later renamed Hellenic Medical Students’ International Committee (HelMSIC). Gradually, Local Committees were set up in all Medical Schools of Greece, with the most recent addition being the Local Committees of Ioannina and Larissa, established in the early 2000s.

In the early 1990s, the European Medical Students’ Association (EMSA) was founded and HelMSIC became a member of it. Also, in 1998, HelMSIC was a founding member of the Hellenic National Youth Council.

During the long-term presence of HelMSIC in IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations), numerous medical students from Greece have emerged as “key positions” in the Federation, including three Presidents and a Vice President. HelMSIC itself has organised in the past five International and European meetings of IFMSA and EMSA  in 1993, 1998, 2008, 2010 in Athens and 2012 in Thessaloniki.

In April 2009, HelMSIC was awarded by the Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity with the Volunteer Prize for its international action in the representation of greek medical students abroad as a Non-Governmental Organization.

Today, HelMSIC is active in all medical schools in Greece, with 7 active Local Committees, with more than 120 active members on a national level. Each year, more than 20 national and local programs are held, in which hundreads of medical students throughout Greece participate!

Read next: National Team