A NEW hospice in Mesa Chorio in Paphos will be completed by the end of December and is on course to open its doors early next year.
Currently, the only functioning hospice in the coastal town is the Paphos Friends Hospice, which is situated in a dedicated wing of the Evangelismos hospital.
Archangel Michael Hospice - previously known as the Saint Michael’s hospice - has been an ongoing for close to a decade. Once open, the hospice will offer free palliative care to people with any form of life-limiting illness such as cancer, motor neuron disease, heart failure, end stage respiratory disease and kidney disease.
So far, supporters have raised €2.1 million. Initially, only the top floor of the facility consisting of nine double bedrooms will be in use.
Cameron McDonald the hospice spokesman told the Sunday Mail a team of 20 workers was currently on target to complete works on the interior before Christmas. The lift which will service the building has already been ordered and will be fitted in February.
McDonald said the health ministry would then complete a final inspection and issue a certificate to operate.
It will cost close to €700,000 a year to run the hospice, which does not currently receive any state funding.
“We have come this far solely with donations and fund raising,” said McDonald, “and we are lucky to have such a great team of enthusiastic volunteers.”
The spokesman said the hospice would be managed by trustees with extensive expertise in business, marketing, healthcare and finance.
He added: “The hospice will be independently managed by a Charitable Trust and this week we received our licence to establish the hospice from the ministry of health.” According to McDonald, the ministry has been extremely helpful and the hospice hopes to get a 20 per cent government grant
The Archangel Michael Hospice is situated in Mesa Chorio in Paphos and will house the only wing in Cyprus specifically for children.
“There is no other such facility for children and there will be a dedicated area specifically for them,” said McDonald.
McDonald said that although the entire project would be completed by February 2013, the hospice won’t open immediately.
“We would like to have a six-month buffer of around €300,000 in the bank before we open to ensure everything will run smoothly and we are able to operate without any problems,” he said.
He noted that although a substantial amount of cash had been raised in the last 12 months “this has slowed down recently.”
The main challenges currently facing the trustees are to ensure that highly qualified staff are in place, including a professional fundraising department. “We will look at getting staff towards the end of the year,” he said.
In addition, a new website to promote the hospice has been launched as well as a campaign. A charity fundraising ball, the details of which are being discussed now, will be held in aid of the hospice in mid January.
For further information: - www.archangel-michael-hospice.com
How the hospice will look inside