CYPRUS: Health Ministry and McDonalds go ahead with Makarios Hospital hostel

The Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Cyprus is set to build a hostel for parents of children who are being treated at Nicosia’s Makarios Children’s Hospital and other public and private hospitals.

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The EUR 1 mln project is ready to get off the ground after an agreement was signed on Monday between Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou and the President of the RMHC Cyprus Renos Andreou.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ioannou said that he was pleased to be signing a very important agreement.

“An agreement, which I am sure, will have multiple benefits for the families of the children who are receiving treatment in Makarios Hospital. This was something that until now, was lacking from the services we provide to patients," said the minister.

He added that the company’s contribution to Cypriot society is continuous and is not limited to the building of the hostel.

On behalf of RMHC, Renos Andreou said that the hostel will bring comfort to the hundreds of families of children who are treated at the Makarios Hospital and other health institutions.

In recent comments to the Financial Mirror, Andreou said that this is not the first charitable project of the Ronald McDonald House Charities foundation.

“The foundation has also financed the children’s cardiological centre in the Makarios Hospital which provides care for some 4,000 to 5,000 children per year,” he said.

Andreou said that the hostel which is to be built where the old Paraplegic Centre stands, will be able to host the families of 12 children at any one time. He added that “all running expenses are to be covered by the RMHC.

The President of the RMHC foundation said that the project – which is expected to be completed within 18 to 20 months – “will provide comfort for parents, whose children happen to need treatment far from home”.