An agreement was signed on Saturday at the Presidential Palace for the construction of a new Pediatric Oncology Clinic in Nicosia, which is expected to significantly upgrade the services provided.
Cyprus 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 was signed on February 15, marking International Childhood Cancer Day, paved the way for the construction of the Pediatric Oncology Center in Nicosia.
Είναι με μεγάλη χαρά που υπογράψαμε σήμερα συμφωνία συνεργασίας με το Ίδρυμα Κλεάνθους, συμφωνία η οποία ανοίγει ουσιαστικά τον δρόμο για την ανέγερση του Κέντρου Παιδιατρικής Ογκολογίας, στη Λευκωσία. Η σημερινή μέρα δεν επιλέγηκε τυχαία καθώς η 15η Φεβρουαρίου είναι η… pic.twitter.com/LVGFfRQcD3
— Michael Damianos (@MichaelDamianos) February 15, 2025
He thanked Costas Cleanthous noting that this “highly altruistic initiative” would upgrade efforts for the best possible treatment of childhood cancer in Cyprus.
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Source: CNA
