By Gerald Bowers
BLUE CROSS MEDICAL CENTRE PAPHOS Private Medical Treatment in Paphos We all wish we could remain fit and healthy forever, but time and age catches up with our bodies as we enter our ‘senior years’. When we think about attending any private medical facility the word ‘expensive’ springs to mind and only adds to the fear of seeking medical treatment when we need it the most. But on a recent visit to the Blue Cross Medical Centre in Paphos, we discovered what could be described as a breath of fresh air in the private medical world. We met with George Kaniklides, General Manager of the Saint George Polyclinic and Blue Cross Medical Centre in Paphos. ‘’We are a general medical provider and we perform things like hip and knee replacements on a daily basis’’ said George. Doctors are performing eye cataract laser surgeries on a weekly basis plus they offer a unique service called ‘Lithotripsy’, a special technique for
the treatment of kidney stones that does not require surgery. Instead, high energy shock waves are passed through the body and used to break the stones into small pieces as small as grains of sand, these pieces can they pass from the body naturally. The St George Polyclinic and Blue Cross Private Hospital Ltd is the outcome of a merger that took place in 2012. The outcome was to create a unique and comprehensive medical facility for the Paphos region.
‘’We now have 5 surgeons, 4 general practitioners and a total staff of over 60 people plus we have close relationships with other specialists in other hospitals’’
St George’s Polyclinic The group offers the latest, state of art medical equipment which has been installed to accommodate today’s diverse patient needs. The St George’s Polyclinic also contains a retirement home situated on the second floor and operates a day care clinic. The radiology department is also situated here. Importantly there are back up systems in place, for example there are two radiology departments, two CT scanners and currently Blue Cross is accepting patients from the Paphos General Hospital. Its excellence in patient care is further enhanced by the nursing team. Dedicated to their vocation, the team is headed-up by UK training standards with extensive international nursing experience. Blue Cross also provides communication skills training for its staff team to enable effective relationships with not just patients but also with relatives and visitors.
Do Not Worry Blue Cross is accredited by all the major international medical insurance providers including the British ones like BUPA. They have agreements with all the Cypriot insurance companies. However, ‘’We are a medical facility and we are here to help people as much as we can, so we can help those who do not have medical insurance and people should not be afraid to come and discuss with us at any time’’ said George. The in-patient department provides facilities in the same way as any modern hospital. All rooms (50 beds) are en-suite and fully air-conditioned. They have satellite television, directdial telephones and a nurse-call system. On the same level there is a high-tech intensive care unit and separate maternity unit.
Physiotherapy Suite The physiotherapy suite contains an indoor heated swimming/treatment pool and provides a full range of
professional Hydrotherapy (Aquatic Physiotherapy) treatments. The patient profile at Blue Cross is across all ages and all nationalities as many staff speaks multiple languages in addition to Greek including English, Russian, German and French. There are three modern operating theatres for minor and major operations at the Blue Cross and 2 others in the St George Hospital which is dedicated especially for day care users.
‘’We are a medical facility and we are here to help people as much as we can, so we can help those who do not have medical insurance and people should not be afraid to come and discuss with us at any time’’
The St George and Blue Cross Private Hospital Ltd operate a 24-hours outpatient department providing full medical / surgical support for all emergencies and accidents including road traffic injuries. The out-patient department has an ambulance service for home, hotel or airport transfers. The ambulance service provides fully trained paramedics from the British NHS (National Health Service). Further information visit: www.bluecross.com.cy Blue Cross Medical Centre: Private Hospital 51, Demokratias, Avenue, Paphos, 8062,Cyprus info@bluecross.com.cy Tel: +357 26 22 11 11 St.Georges Daycare Clinic 29 Eleftherios Venizelos Avenue, Paphos, Cyprus st.george.hos@cytanet.com.cy
Tel: +357 26 94700