The Children’s Hospital, the construction of which will begin next December, as well as the new Oncology Hospital that will be built in the Karatassiou camp are coming to give a new dimension to the health map of Thessaloniki, while an upgrade of the Agios Pavlos hospital, which serves a population of 500,000 in the area from Eastern Thessaloniki to Halkidiki. A new change in the health map of Thessaloniki may be brought by the expiration of the contract with AHEPANS on May 29, 2026, as there are already plans by the AUTH and the School of Medicine to move the AHEPA hospital to the eastern side of the city.

Health Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis mentioned the government’s reforms and goals in the field of public health, as well as the health map of Thessaloniki, speaking at an event organized by the Directorate of ND Thessaloniki and DEEP A’Thessaloniki at the Municipal Theater on Chilis Street in Kalamaria.

“We are here to make some big serious reforms, we are here to build the future. And our political strategy is of primary importance for the future we want for the Greeks and Greece… We will improve what is not working as it should, because there are many parts that need improvement, and we will correct what is working defectively, because there are shortcomings. The policy for health is complex and develops on many and different fronts from prevention to the fight against incurable diseases, from ambulances on the road to Intensive Care Units in hospitals, from urban centers to hard-to-reach remote areas, from mental health to asymmetric threats such as Covid where, now in autumn ahead of winter for the vulnerable, vaccination is a priority. We have a lot to do and we will do it We have announced a radical reform of EKAB. Now is the time for action. We want to have the world of health close to us, many health professionals approached me and told me that there are a number of issues that they want us to talk about, we are open, we are on their side” noted Mr. Chrysochoidis.

At the same time, he mentioned that investments are needed in health, noting that the Recovery Fund will help with this by allocating approximately 1.5 billion euros for the renovation of almost all hospitals and Health Centers to make them more functional and aesthetically better. He added that the funds must be rationally managed so that not a single euro is wasted.

Mr. Chrysochoidis pointed out that the recruitment of 10,000 doctors, nurses and other staff is starting, most of which will take place in 2024. He also noted that in the next two months, 1,000 doctors and 4,000 nurses will be hired in hospitals.

“We will run quickly to health. We will build the digital hospital, so that the citizen can make an appointment with his mobile phone with an application, so that he can know where his medicine is, so that he can know when he will be operated on, so that he can know when to make an appointment with his doctor” added Mr. Chrysochoidis

“We are not afraid of the future, we are here to make it the way we want. We promise to give a hard fight everyday. We will bow our heads, we will radically change the health system to make it accessible, to make it fair, to make it efficient and to increase the feeling of satisfaction of all Greeks” noted Mr. Chrysochoidis.

The health map of Thessaloniki

Referring to the Thessaloniki Pediatric Hospital, Mr. Chrysochoidis noted that it will be standard and heavily staffed, and that construction will begin in December and that it will serve all pediatric cases in Northern Greece.

“The transfer of the Oncology Hospital to the Karatassiou camp in Western Thessaloniki is also a new dimension. Theageneio is a historical hospital which has treated hundreds of thousands of people. We are transferring all this history to a new large modern hospital in Western Thessaloniki which will respond to the growing needs of cancer cases” added Mr. Chrysochoidis.

Regarding the Agios Pavlos hospital, which he visited in the morning, he said that it has low attendance and huge problems and added:

“We will proceed to analyze all the data that has been sent to us. We have been sent the preliminary study for the construction of a new wing. Lack of staff. It is our personal commitment that Agios Pavlos will become a hospital that will cover the region not only of Eastern Thessaloniki but also of Halkidiki. We want to create some very important reinforced reference clinics such as orthopedics so that it attracts very specialized cases and becomes a pole of attraction for hundreds of thousands of citizens living in Eastern Thessaloniki and the region of Halkidiki”.

The future of AHEPA

The former rector of AUTH, Professor Nikos Papaioannou, taking the floor after the Minister of Health, said that AUTH is a leader both in the health structure and in research activity in Thessaloniki. He noted that in Thessaloniki there are 11 hospitals, one of which is the military 424 and 10 hospitals of the National Health Service. Of these 10, AHEPA is university-based, while another 6 have university clinics. In total, there are 57 university clinics in all hospitals. At the same time, he pointed out that AHEPA will face a problem in the next three years as the contract with AHEPANS expires on May 29, 2026.

“In 2026, the health map will probably change. Then we will have to decide what will happen with AHEPA. AUTH will have to decide whether AHEPA will fall to us. You understand the problems, even in terms of work, of the colleagues who work there, if they will go from the public to NPDD or if it will have the same model as today or if there will be another third solution. The AUTH and the School of Medicine have already studied what can be done. There is a long-term plan on how the AHEPA hospital can be transferred. We can discuss a medical hub that will be close to Eastern Thessaloniki with all the pharmaceutical industries and all the other technological development of the area so that we can have a hospital next to research and medical tourism. Also together with the hospital administrations to let’s also see the restructuring of the clinics in each hospital” noted Mr. Papaioannou.