Greece’s First Natural Birth Centre Suspends Operations

The news in Greek

1. κέντρο  (n.)
   χώρος ή ίδρυμα όπου γίνονται συγκεκριμένες δραστηριότητες ή προσφέρονται υπηρεσίες ↩︎
2. τοκετός  (m.)
   η διαδικασία κατά την οποία μια γυναίκα γεννάει παιδί ↩︎
3. ιδρύτρια  (f.)
   γυναίκα που δημιουργεί, ξεκινά ή οργανώνει ένα ίδρυμα, έναν οργανισμό ή μια επιχείρηση ↩︎
4. πρόβλημα  (n.)
   δύσκολη κατάσταση ή θέμα που χρειάζεται λύση ↩︎
5. πρόγραμμα  (n.)
   σχέδιο ή οργανωμένη σειρά ενεργειών ή δραστηριοτήτων ↩︎
6. σεβασμός  (m.)
   θετική στάση προς κάποιον, όταν τον εκτιμάμε και φερόμαστε προσεκτικά και ευγενικά ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Why does the founder say the decision to stop the births is difficult?

Question 2: What does the founder hope to create in the future?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
κέντρο  (n.)	centre
τοκετός  (m.)	childbirth
ιδρύτρια  (f.)	founder
πρόβλημα  (n.)	problem
πρόγραμμα  (n.)	programme
σεβασμός  (m.)	respect

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The founder of Greece’s first independent natural birth centre, known as The Birth Center, has announced that the facility will halt its services for natural births at its premises for the foreseeable future. The centre, based in Greece and promoted as a place for natural, midwife-led childbirth outside a traditional hospital setting, had been operating for about four years.

In a video statement posted on Instagram, philanthropist Erietta Kourkoulou Latsi, who created and funded the project, described the decision as “very difficult”. She explained that the centre had become financially and practically unsustainable under current conditions in the country. According to her message, the organisation will now enter a period of restructuring and redesign of its activities, rather than closing completely as an institution.

Kourkoulou Latsi said that after four years of intensive work and commitment, she had hoped to give the project more time to develop. However, she pointed to unspecified internal factors and structural challenges that, in her view, made it impossible to continue offering births in the existing form. She did not go into detail about these internal issues, and Greek media reports note that no specific financial figures or regulatory obstacles were publicly cited.

In her statement, the founder also took personal responsibility for the outcome. She referred to the suspension of birth services as a “personal failure” and apologised to the women who had planned to give birth at the centre. She acknowledged that these expectant mothers will now need to adjust their birth plans and seek care in other facilities, most likely in conventional maternity hospitals.

At the same time, Kourkoulou Latsi stressed that the decision should not be interpreted as a failure of the midwifery-led model of care itself. She underlined that, in her view, Greek society has a strong need for respectful, woman-centred childbirth and that international examples show that such models can function successfully. Commentators in Greek media note that this type of care, which places midwives at the centre of normal, low-risk births, remains relatively rare in Greece, where most births take place in hospitals under the supervision of obstetricians.

The founder expressed her intention to continue advocating for respectful maternity care and for broader recognition of women’s rights and choices during childbirth. She indicated that, if circumstances and cooperation with institutions allow, she would like in the future to develop a similar project within a hospital environment, whether public or private. According to her, such an integrated model might be more easily accepted by the Greek health system and by the wider public.

Reactions in Greek media have highlighted different aspects of the announcement. Some reports focus on the symbolic importance of The Birth Center as a pioneering attempt to offer an alternative to hospital birth in Greece. Others emphasise the practical difficulties of maintaining an independent birth facility, such as costs, staffing, and navigating the national health and insurance frameworks. While there is general agreement that the decision marks a setback for this particular initiative, there is also discussion about how future projects might be designed to fit more closely within existing hospital structures.

In her closing remarks, Kourkoulou Latsi thanked the professionals and families who had supported the centre from the beginning and the women who trusted its vision. She described their support as crucial for making the project possible, even if it did not continue in its original form. The suspension of services at The Birth Center now becomes part of a broader public conversation in Greece about birth practices, maternity care options, and health system reform.

Info: ‘Greek Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Greek’, a language school dedicated to teaching Greek through various types of online courses, including Greek for beginners. Through this service, we share updates, resources and guidance to support learners at different stages of their studies.