The Ministry of Health, the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children and the George and Thelma Paraskevaides Foundation signed on Tuesday a Memorandum of Understanding providing for the enhancement of their cooperation and the expansion of synergies in education and research.
Over the last 35 years 3000 children from Cyprus have travelled to the United States and were successfully undergone specialised treatments for complex orthopaedic conditions at the Shriner’s Hospitals, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou noted at the signing ceremony.
“Every year, since 1983, a group of specialised doctors from the Shriner’s hospitals visit Cyprus to examine and provide their expertise for over 350 cases” he remarked.
“In addition to their visit to Cyprus, the medical experts of Shriner’s Hospitals have close cooperation with Cypriot doctors through teleconferences to provide their expertise for approximately 80 cases of children with orthopaedic problems”.
The Minister praised the significant role that the George and Thelma Paraskevaides Foundation has played through the years. “The charity work of the Foundation has led to the development of this important cooperation for the benefit of the children of Cyprus, regardless of the financial status. For all your assistance and support, we are deeply grateful”.
He stressed that the Memorandum seals this cooperation. “This Memorandum lays new foundations and will provide a new perspective, by expanding our collaboration in the areas of education, training and research. The goal is to promote the exchange of medical knowledge in the areas of orthopaedics and paediatric orthopaedics, of plastic surgery burn care, of orthotics and prosthetics and of course of tele-health, but also explore additional areas of cooperation” he said.
On behalf of the Foundation, Costas Paraskevaides noted that “there are still many opportunities and ways of cooperation, for which all sides will work intensively”.
(Cyprus News Agency)
