“The FTA <\/b>today is changing in practice! Not with proclamations, but with daily interventions<\/b> that citizens see.”. This is underlined in an interview with Macedonian News<\/b> by the Deputy Minister of Health Marios Themistocleous.<\/b><\/p>\n
Mr. Themistocleous, talks about the major, flagship health projects that are progressing in Thessaloniki<\/b>, which are spearheading the renaissance of public health and radically changing the level of care: The Pediatric Pre-University Hospital <\/strong>in Filiro – a landmark donation from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation; the creation of the new Theaagenio<\/strong> in the former Karatasios camp; and the pioneering Centre for Gene and Cell Therapy<\/strong> in the “Papanikolaou”. <\/p>\n Mr. Themistocleous, having served the NHS for many years as a physician, unfolds the holistic plan that radically changes the level of services provided to patients. This strategy extends beyond large, new hospitals, reaching the grassroots of health care by renovating 156 Health Centres and 80 Emergency Departments, as well as operating theatres and clinics across Greece. <\/p>\n In addition to infrastructure, the change in the NHS is measurable in waiting times at TEPs<\/strong>, where a clear reduction from 9 to 4.5 hours<\/strong> is recorded, the deputy minister said, while, as he stresses, the introduction of Day Care Units decongests the structures and improves the quality of life of citizens. <\/p>\n At the same time, the digital revolution <\/strong>through the National Electronic Health Record, the MyHealth app and the use of Artificial Intelligence, transforms technology from a luxury to an essential tool in the hands of medical staff. With more than 500,000 digital appointments per month, bureaucracy is receding, making room for meaningful care. <\/p>\n The deputy minister’s message is clear: healthcare requires a synthesis of views, not sterile confrontation and dead-end nihilism. Because, as he stresses, investing in the NHS is an investment in the “we”, and projects are not about the next election, but about future generations. <\/p>\n The full text of the Deputy Minister’s interview follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n The provision of health services for Thessaloniki and the whole of Northern Greece is being upgraded. Thessaloniki acquires the most modern pediatric hospital in Greece and one of the most modern in Europe. An emblematic project that reflects in practice our vision for the NHS of the new era. The new University Children’s Hospital in Filiro is a a landmark project for Northern Greece,<\/strong> funded by the donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which we thank warmly, as well as its President for his active support. The timetable is being adhered to as planned and foresees completion in January 2027, while construction is already in an advanced phase. <\/p>\n The procurement of medical equipment and planning for staffing is proceeding simultaneously. We have consciously chosen to “run” everything together so that the hospital is fully operational from day one. <\/p>\n We rely on a people-centred framework for health, delivering projects and services with the aim of equitable and quality access to health facilities. <\/p>\n The new oncology hospital will soon be a reality. Satisfying a decades-long request, ensuring decent care for our fellow citizens with neoplasms, filling a chronic shortage for the region. <\/p>\n The new Theagenio <\/strong>is an investment of 350.5 million euros<\/strong> (with VAT it amounts to 434 million euros<\/strong>), through a public-private partnership. In other words, using every financial source and every appropriate instrument for the benefit of public health. And I would like to stress something: there is no greater act of highlighting the public nature of health when private initiative comes along and invests significant funds for this purpose.<\/strong> <\/p>\n With regard to the project, legal procedures are currently underway so that we can safely move from Phase B to the Implementation Phase. This is not just a relocation. We are building a new level of oncology care from the ground up, with modern infrastructure, new equipment and possibilities for innovative treatments. <\/strong> <\/p>\n What is important is that a project that for years has been on paper is now on track for implementation with a delivery horizon in early 2031.<\/strong> <\/p>\n The big picture is to serve Greece as a model of these therapies<\/strong> and to welcome patients even from other countries. The many key scientific firsts of the “Papanikolaou” haematology clinic led us to choose this hospital for the construction of the new three-storey building that will house haematology laboratories, a special 11-bed unit and high-security infrastructure. <\/p>\n The Gene and Cell Therapy Centre at Papanicolaou is planned and expected to be delivered next September<\/strong> for use and full operation. The total cost will amount to \u20ac13.8 million of which \u20ac7.4 million will come from the resources of the CDF. For the patient it means access to cutting-edge treatments. For the NHS it means integrating innovation into everyday practice. And for Thessaloniki it means strengthening its role as a regional hub of medical excellence. <\/p>\n The state actively supports such initiatives, with funding, staffing and an institutional framework to make these treatments accessible to all. <\/p>\n Every measure, every action, every intervention has the patient at its heart. Therefore, our goal is less inconvenience for him and more efficient operation for the system. Day Care Units allow for the provision of a high level of care without multiple days of hospitalization. This means fewer waits, less congestion in hospitals and a better quality of life for the citizen. <\/p>\n It should be noted that in all the Units, with the exception of Athens and Thessaloniki, multiple medical procedures are performed, directly serving our fellow citizens who live outside the two major urban centres. This is a reform that is already paying off and will be reinforced in the coming years where necessary. <\/p>\n For the first time in decades, the NHS is being upgraded overall. Through resources from the Recovery Fund and the NSF, an extensive programme of renovations is underway at 156 Health Centres, 80 Emergency Departments, operating theatres and clinics across the country. <\/p>\n These are not piecemeal interventions. It is an organised plan that is changing the face of hospitals, both in terms of infrastructure and equipment. <\/p>\n If the patient’s daily life has not changed, nothing has changed. And that is exactly where these interventions are aimed. <\/p>\n There has been a dramatic improvement and for the first time we are talking about measurable data. We are not dwelling on speculation but working with concrete data. <\/p>\n Emergency departments are the front line of the national health care system. They signify the speed, the operational readiness, the organization of a public health structure. Where the citizen arrives sick, anxious, often alone. And seeks service, respect, reliability. It is the place in which he first comes into contact with the health care system and from which he largely forms his overall opinion. Because, quite simply, it concerns a service that he has financed and wants to see his contributions ‘paid for’. <\/p>\n For several decades, many hospital wards that received thousands of people every month had not seen a single nail changed. ICUs, like the whole of the NHS, were affected both by the financial crisis that left no fiscal space for substantial intervention and by the Covid-19 pandemic. <\/p>\n Today, with the implementation in the updated TEPs<\/strong> of electronic tracing, we are moving to the national average of 4.5 hours<\/strong> for the service in the ED, which shows a clear improvement on past waits of 9 hours on average. <\/p>\n In terms of appointments, the unified system including the 1566<\/strong> line, finddoctors.gov.gr<\/strong> and the MyHealth app<\/strong> has led to a radical change. Since its implementation in October, we have exceeded 500,000 digital appointment bookings<\/strong> every month through the new system. This means that citizens now have more choice and less hassle. We continue to improve systems as in healthcare, every hour of waiting is important. <\/p>\n Technology and artificial intelligence are not a luxury in the NHS, they are a tool for better care. It is changing the way the NHS works thanks to the National Electronic Health Record, new appointment systems and digital assistants for both NHS staff and patients. Bureaucracy is reduced, time is saved and the quality of services is improved. <\/p>\n Artificial intelligence is not coming to replace doctors, but to enhance them, giving them better data and faster decisions. We are working for an NHS that uses technology not for impressions but for substance. <\/p>\n I have served the NHS for many years. First as a doctor, now as a junior minister. It is my second home, my extended family. The NHS today is changing in practice!<\/strong> Not with proclamations, but with daily interventions that citizens see. Not with mock-ups, but with delivered projects. And not with grandiose “wills” but with implemented “tos”.<\/strong> <\/p>\n We are improving infrastructure, strengthening staff, harnessing technology and reducing waits. We don’t claim to have solved all the problems, but for the first time there is a plan, continuity and measurable results. <\/p>\n We all need to understand that in certain vital areas such as health, education and justice, a synthesis of views is needed, not sterile confrontation and deadlocked nihilism. Any investment in the NHS is an investment in the ‘we’. And they are projects that are not about the next election but about future generations. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “The NHS today is changing in practice! Not with proclamations, but with daily interventions that the citizen sees.”. 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