Address by the Minister of Health of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Michael Damianos, at the charity gala dinner organised by the Shriners Club Cyprus celebrating 40 years of caring, yesterday

It is a great pleasure for me to address you this evening at this special gala dinner organised by the Alasia Shriners Club Cyprus, under the auspices of the Ministry of Health. Tonight, we celebrate and express our deepest gratitude for 40 years of caring by Shriners Children’s, transforming the lives of children in need, both in Cyprus and around the world. We look forward to the privilege of welcoming the exceptional Shriner’s teams to Cyprus in the coming years.

Shriners Hospitals for Children, known as Shriners Children’s, is a leading non-profit organisation founded in the United States in 1922, offering free specialist medical services to children in need globally. Their mission is to provide expert medical care to children, regardless of their family’s financial situation. These services include sending highly trained volunteer multidisciplinary teams to run outreach clinics for children in various countries, free of charge for their families. Shriners Children’s also provides training and high-quality research for medical professionals worldwide.

The specialist services provided by Shriners Children’s cover the treatment of a wide range of orthopaedic conditions, such as scoliosis, spinal cord injuries, burns, and craniofacial conditions like cleft palate. Thanks to the services of Shriners Children’s, thousands of children in Cyprus and across the globe have received life-changing treatments, greatly enhancing their quality of life and that of their families. Many families have shared testimonies of how their dreams became a reality thanks to Shriners Children’s.

I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the George and Thelma Paraskevaides Foundation for its ongoing support and collaboration with Shriners Children’s, enabling outreach clinics to be held in Cyprus for the past four decades, benefiting local and neighbouring children. During these visits, over 16,000 children from Cyprus have received care, and another 4,000 have travelled to the United States for further treatment. Additionally, children from Egypt, Greece, Lebanon, and Turkey have also been treated by Shriners Children’s here in Cyprus.

I am confident that I speak for everyone here tonight when I offer a heartfelt thank you to the Alasia Cyprus Shriners Club for making it possible for Shriners’ experts to treat children here in Cyprus, close to their homes. Your outstanding and unwavering contribution to our society is a beacon of hope for families and children in need.

I can assure you that the Ministry of Health stands firmly by your side and will continue to offer any support needed to facilitate the organisation of these annual outreach clinics. The Nicosia General Hospital, one of the main medical facilities hosting Shriners’ specialist teams, will continue to look forward to this important collaboration.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy this evening’s gala dinner and I look forward to strengthening our collaboration with Shriners Children’s in the future.