The Deputy Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Chardalias, announced today, Friday 1 July 2022, the concession of part of the former “KARATASSIOU” Camp to the Ministry of Health for the construction of the new Oncology Hospital, during an information meeting that was held at the Governor’s Office (Macedonia – Thrace) in Thessaloniki in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Interior responsible for Macedonia and Thrace, Mr. Stavros Kalafatis, and the Secretary General for Health Services, Mr. Ioannis Kotsiopoulos.
After the end of the meeting, the Deputy Minister of National Defence Nikolaos Chardalias made the following statement:
“It is with great pleasure that I am here today to announce you the siting of the new Oncology Hospital of Thessaloniki at an area inside the former “KARATASSIOU” Camp, opposite the “PAPAGEORGIOU” Hospital and the 424 General Army Hospital, with an ambition that such action will soon become the starting point for the foundation of a model healthcare center for the entire Northern Greece.
The new Oncology Hospital constituted a commitment on the part of the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, from the podium of the 85th Thessaloniki International Fair in September 2021 and will now become a reality. The area of the former “KARATASSIOU” Camp in the Municipality of Pavlos Melas in western Thessaloniki serves ideally its siting, since the area offers easy access, networks and other necessary urban infrastructure, while at the same time it has enough car parking spaces for employees and visitors.
The new Anti-Cancer Unit upon its inclusion in the National Health System will constitute a modern, innovative and state-of-the-art structure, designed to operate based on all international health standards, while it will provide high-quality medical and healthcare services to patients with neoplastic diseases and malignant blood disorders, to meet the needs of people not only from Thessaloniki but in fact from the entire Northern Greece.
In view of its final siting, various Ministries involved worked closely for several months, such as the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, the Ministry of Interior (Macedonia – Thrace division), the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and of course, the National Defence Fund being the owner of the relevant land, thus promoting social awareness and solidarity and of course the entire Government’s commitment to put its statements into practice”.
The Deputy Ministry of Interior responsible for Macedonia and Thrace, Mr. Stavros Kalafatis, stressed:
“The first step for the foundation of a new Oncology Hospital in Thessaloniki is a fact. After searching hard enough for the suitable site, the most appropriate solution was found. I would like to thank, amongst others, the National Defence Fund for its offer. It has been decided that the new hospital will be settled in the former “KARATASSIOU” Camp. The old “Theagenio” Cancer Hospital of Thessaloniki that has contributed so much to Public Health will be replaced by an ultra modern hospital that will be offering high quality health services to thousands of people from Thessaloniki, Northern Greece and not only. The Prime Minister’s, Kyriakos Mitsotakis’, commitment will become a reality”.
The meeting has also been attended by the Members of Parliament Thessaloniki A’ and B’ Messrs. Stratos Simopoulos, Anna Efthymiou, Dimitrios Kouvelas, Katerina Notopoulou, Savvas Anastasiadis and Leonidas Stoltidis, the Director of the Prime Minister’s Office in Thessaloniki Ms. Maria Antoniou, the Head of the 4th Macedonia and Thrace Health District Mr. Dimitrios Tsalikakis, the Head of “Theagenio” Cancer Hospital of Thessaloniki Ms. Liana Kourteli – Xouri, as well as the former Head of the 4th Health District Mr. Stratis Plomaritis.
