Agreement signed for construction of new €10m Pediatric Oncology Clinic in Nicosia

An agreement has been signed at the Presidential Palace for the construction of a new Pediatric Oncology Clinic in Nicosia, which is expected to significantly upgrade the services provided.

President, Nikos Christodoulides, welcomed the agreement- signed between the Minister of Health, Michalis Damianos, the President of the State Health Services Organisation (Okypy), Marinos Kallis, and Maria Charalambidou, the President of the Cleanthous Foundation which is funding the €10 million project – noting that this was an “investment in life, hope and the future”.

The Clinic is to be built on state land, near the Makarios Hospital. After completion, the clinic’s management will be taken over by the State Health Services Organisation.

As mentioned during the signing ceremony, the new Pediatric Oncology Clinic is considered to be an extremely important infrastructure for the future of children with cancer and hematological diseases in Cyprus, since it is a project of international standards.

In his greeting, the President of the Republic said that with the Foundation’s contribution for the construction of this new unit, Cyprus could become a regional centre for the cure of childhood cancer, noting that Costas Cleanthous' contribution - through the Cleanthous Foundation - was one not only to Cyprus but to “the entire region".

In her speech, the President of the Cleanthous Foundation, Maria Charalambidou, said that the Foundation’s desire was to increase Cyprus’ participation in research on childhood cancer, which is why the appropriate spaces were included in the design of the building.

“We want to create a model Pediatric Oncology Center”, she said, “where children will feel that they are in a friendly and supportive place, will be able to dream, learn, continue to develop and above all, cured”.

Kallis, referred to data on childhood cancer during his speech, noting that every year in Cyprus, approximately 42 new cases of cancer occur between the ages of 0 and 19.

According to the President of Okypy, “there is an outbreak with a 7.6% annual increase in thyroid cancer in children between 15 and 19 years old, three or four times more frequent in girls”, noting, however, that “fortunately” statistics show 100% cure rates.

For the rest of the childhood cancers, he said, no increase is recorded, but that within the last 10 to 20 years the incidence of all cancers has been very high, while the reasons remain unknown to this day.

In a post on X, Health Minister, Michalis Damianos said that the agreement, which he said, was signed on 15 February, marking International Childhood Cancer Day, paved the way for the construction of the Pediatric Oncology Center in Nicosia.

He thanked Costas Cleanthous noting that this “highly altruistic initiative” would upgrade efforts for the best possible treatment of childhood cancer in Cyprus.

(Source: CNA)