On Monday 2 December, the Cyprus Ministry of the Environment issued a permit for the renovation and expansion of the neonatal intensive care unit at the Archbishop Makarios Hospital in Nicosia.
The project is being initiated by the State Health Organisation (OKYpY). The approximate cost of the project is estimated at 6.5 million euros and the time for implementation is 18 months after receipt of all the necessary documents. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
According to the department, the project involves the complete reconstruction of the current block and its connection to the new building via two bridges. According to the plan, the new wing will have modern intensive care wards with 26 incubators, four isolated wards for newborns with suspected infectious diseases and wards for further treatment with 24 incubators. The building will also include special rooms for parents of infants.
As a result of these works, the total area of the department will increase to 14 thousand m2. It should be noted that the new intensive care unit has been designed in accordance with international and European standards. According to the organisation, the renovated department will increase the availability of help for newborns in serious condition. At the same time, recognising the importance of the presence of the parents of hospitalised babies, Okypy has ensured that they have the opportunity to visit their child and spend as much time with them as they wish.
As a reminder, the Nicosia Children's Unit currently has seven specialist doctors and 72 nurses, four neonatal specialists and two paediatric specialists. The unit has 48 beds to accommodate children from the 23rd week of pregnancy to the 14th day of life. Staff efforts are focused on reducing the need for mother-child separation and length of hospital stay, as well as reducing the risk of complications, long-term neurodevelopmental damage and disorders, and infant mortality.