At the beginning of 2024, the construction work of the University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki in Filiro will begin, with a completion and delivery time frame of three years.

The construction project of the three hospitals (Paediatrics, Komotini and Sparta) that are included in the International Initiative for Health of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), was frozen last February, as the offers of the builders were much higher than the amount available the SNF. Finally, the problem was solved on August 4, with the signing of a contract with the AVAX group to start the construction of the three hospitals.

The pediatric hospital, which is predicted to be among the best in the world, will be built on a plot of 80,345 sq.m. in which 780 trees will be planted.

The hospital building will have an area of ​​37,500 sq.m. while the education and research buildings are 6,300 sq.m. It will have 242 beds and 247 clinical positions, IT systems and state-of-the-art medical equipment with high diagnostic accuracy, high levels of security and the length of hospitalization will be shorter. Indicatively, it will have a state-of-the-art hybrid operating room with a robotic angiograph, two 3 and 1.5 Tesla magnetic tomographs, a specialized pediatric CT scanner, while it has been ensured that the equipment that will be installed will be of the latest technology at the time of the order. The ratio of single/double beds will be 50%-50%.

The above was pointed out during the 6th open debate convened by the SNF at the Municipal Gymnasium of Filiros, which was held in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Health, Marios Themistokleous, who had earlier visited the plot on which the University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki will be built.

“I am excited, because in the next period of time the construction works of the hospital will begin. It is estimated that at the beginning of the new year we will have the bulldozers on the site that we visited, took a tour and saw exactly where the buildings will be built. The project is progressing normally from the side of the Greek State, all actions have been taken to ensure the smooth continuation of construction from here on out, and we have already started staffing the hospital. In other words, in the announcements of the positions that are already coming out at the moment, there are also the planned positions for the pediatric hospital in Filiros” said Mr. Themistokleous. At the same time, he expressed his thanks to the president of the SNF, Andreas Drakopoulos, and the Board of Directors. of the foundation, for the generous donation of more than 0.5 billion dollars to build the three hospitals that will be the jewel in the health sector.

The donation manager of the International Health Initiative of the SNF, Eleanna Koniali, said that in the last two months, all the preparatory works of the project are in full progress, so that everything is ready and the contractor can now enter the plot with the excavators. He also noted that construction work is expected to begin at the end of the year, by early January. At the same time, he emphasized that the problems that arose in February 2023 with the cancellation of the initial tender for the assignment of the project, were overcome last August with the signing of the construction contract between the implementing body “Initiative for Health SA” and the construction contractor AVAX .

“The implementation schedule of the construction project has already started. The work on the site may not have started, but there is too much work going on at the same time for the contractor to be at that readiness. At the beginning of 2024, construction will begin on the plot. The expected duration of construction and completion of the hospital’s equipment will be three years. The beginning of 2027 is the target date for the delivery of the fully equipped hospital to the Greek society and the Greek State, in everything ready to operate” noted Ms. Koniali.

At the same time, he mentioned that there was an increase in the budget, but also a very good consultation with the contractor regarding the technical characteristics of the project and the financial parameters. “The Stavros Niarchos Foundation has undertaken the exclusive financing as well as the coordination and implementation of works related to the design, construction and equipment of the three hospitals. At the same time, this is a donation contract with the Greek State, which has also been ratified by law, and the Greek State has taken on the obligation to carry out accompanying infrastructure projects concerning road connections and connection to public utility networks. Most of these projects have been tendered and are in progress, some within schedules, others with a slight delay, but they will not create any obstacle in the progress of the project and we are here to cooperate with all the relevant agencies in this direction” added Mr. Koniali.

The president of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Andreas Drakopoulos, speaking from New York via an online connection, referred to the history and work of the foundation, noting that since its establishment in 1996, it has provided more than 130 countries with approximately 3.7 billion dollars, of which more than 2 million in Greece. At the same time, he emphasized that at this time the actions of the SNF are focused on the Health sector. He also noted that the idea for the creation of the University Pediatric Hospital in Thessaloniki, but also for the construction of hospitals in Komotini and Sparta, arose in 2017 during a meeting with the then leadership of the Ministry of Health. Referring to the problem with the tender of last February, which was declared invalid, he noted that the bids exceeded by 100 million the amount foreseen for the construction.

Speakers at the event were the executive director of the AVAX Group, Antonis Mitzalis, the project manager for the pediatric hospital, Dimitris Hasapis, and Sylvia Tziziloni, deputy director on behalf of Hill International who has undertaken the project management of the specific projects. Greetings were addressed by the president of the AUTH Medical Department, Kyriakos Anastasiadis and the mayor of Pylaia Hortiati, Ignatios Kaitezidis, who said that the municipality undertook to carry out the water supply project for Filiros and the hospital, which was financed with 8 million euros from the Antonis Tritsis program and will is ready before the start of operation of the University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki.