President Nikos Christodoulides on Monday inaugurated the renovated and expanded accident and emergency department at Nicosia General Hospital, a project costing 4.1 million euros. He said upgrading A&E departments across the country was a key government priority.
The investment substantially improves how patients are received and cared for and makes the demanding work of staff easier, he said. People who go to A&E need to be examined promptly, kept informed about their condition and given appropriate care.
He highlighted two changes in the renovation: a dedicated room where patients’ relatives can speak to doctors in suitable surroundings and get updates on their loved ones’ condition, and a rest area for staff, who he said work under particularly demanding conditions.
Christodoulides said he had twice had to take his daughters to the Nicosia A&E since taking office, most recently a short while ago, without informing staff in advance. Both times he followed the normal procedures like any other citizen. On the latest visit, when patients offered to let him go first, he declined.
“Last time there was a short wait, and some patients told me to go ahead and I told them no, we will wait,” he said. He described the staff’s response as exemplary and thanked them for how they treated him and his daughters.
Health and education are the government’s top priorities, the president said, adding that it treats spending in both areas as an investment rather than decisions based solely on financial criteria.
At Nicosia General Hospital, the extension of the fourth floor, with the Neurology Clinic and Stroke Unit, has been completed, and the next goal is an Infectious Diseases Unit.
An extensive upgrade is under way at Makarios Hospital. It includes a new paediatric A&E building and renovations to the gynaecology and paediatric surgery clinics and the paediatric wards. Work continues on a new floor to house the Thalassaemia Centre and a new neonatal intensive care unit. Planning is also progressing for a new model paediatric oncology clinic, with a significant contribution from the private sector.
At Limassol General Hospital, new and expanded haemodialysis units have been completed and a new intensive care unit is being built. A communicable diseases unit and a day care unit are planned, along with an upgrade and expansion of the A&E.
The radiology department at Larnaca General Hospital is being renovated. At Paphos General Hospital, general improvements are being completed and the second floor of the new building is due to be fitted out for an oncology department and care for thalassaemia patients. Energy and construction upgrades are under way at Famagusta General Hospital.
The plans also include a new hospital in Polis Chrysochous, a 17 million euro investment, the second phase of mental health projects and the renovation and upgrade of Troodos Hospital.
The Nicosia A&E renovation was co-funded through the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Christodoulides said health would also be a high priority in the use of new EU co-funded programmes, which he said would exceed 3.5 billion euros. The Cabinet is expected to decide on them in September 2027, ahead of the next programming period.
