SNF General Hospital of Sparta

Expanding access to quality health care for all

With delivery to the Greek National Health System slated for end of 2027, the SNF General Hospital of Sparta will extend access to quality public health care to patients of Sparta, the Prefecture of Laconia, and the wider Peloponnese.

A rendering of the SNF General Hospital of Sparta building emerging from a hilltop forest

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) General Hospital of Sparta will be located on the site of the existing General Hospital of Sparta, which it will replace, a building in operation since 1953. It will provide acute secondary care for the adults and children of Sparta, Laconia, and surrounding areas. It will include medical and surgical specialties such as cardiology and urology, as well as gynecology, pediatric and critical care units. The future hospital will also include a collocated adult mental health unit, with its own private facilities and outdoor spaces that put patient dignity at the heart of its design and operation. The hospital will not only provide health care services, but will also support the wider network of care facilities in the Peloponnese and ensure a coherent distribution of health services according to changing needs across the peninsula. Based on a continuous and transparent consultation process with the Hellenic Ministry of Health, local health authorities, and medical and administrative staff at the Sparta hospital, the planned clinical program saw the addition of a 3-tesla MRI machine, a mammography unit, a catheterization lab, and additional operating theatres in May 2021. The incorporation of these medical facilities as well as the new mental health unit will ensure that the future hospital can best serve Laconia’s population locally and reduce the need for transfers to Tripoli, Kalamata, or Athens for high-dependency care.

Building on a vision for a hospital immersed in nature, a sensory park will form an integral part of the future hospital’s infrastructure and act as an escape valve for the pressure of the inherently exacting everyday operations of a hospital. The sensory park, gardens and trees will reinforce the relationship between the buildings and surrounding natural environment to also improve clinical outcomes. Hospital staff, patients, and families alike will enjoy the benefits of natural light and open views to the mountains, surrounding greenery, and the Laconian landscape.

To achieve optimal qualitative and functional specifications for the project while ensuring uninterrupted provision of medical services, the construction of the new hospital will necessitate the relocation of some of the functions of the existing hospital to make way for the demolition of a part of the existing General Hospital of Sparta in the last quarter of 2022. Based on suggestions by the hospital’s medical and administrative staff, the operating rooms, central sterilization unit, hemodialysis unit, COVID-19 clinic and emergency department, CT scanner, laboratories, and administrative services are being moved to the wing of the hospital that will remain in operation until the new SNF hospital is delivered in 2027. The existing hospital will be fully demolished and landscaped areas will be expanded and reconfigured upon the delivery and start of operations at the new SNF General Hospital of Sparta.

Following the rigorous environmental principles applied in each of the new hospitals being developed under the SNF Global Health Initiative (GHI), the new SNF General Hospital of Sparta has been designed to fulfil LEED Platinum certification and near carbon neutrality, which has the potential to make it one of the most energy-efficient hospitals in its class. The new facilities will enable the full digitization of clinical services, the sustainable and efficient management and maintenance of the hospital, and continuity of care with other collaborating health units.

Development of the forthcoming hospital is based in an open, transparent, and multi-stakeholder process conducted by SNF and the Design Team, including close collaboration with the Hellenic Ministry of Health, the 6th Regional Health District, and the local hospital. End users are being consulted at each design phase, while the biannual town hall meetings organized by SNF in Sparta offer a key platform for keeping the broader public informed and listening to the views of local communities.

Legislation on the new SNF General Hospital of Sparta:
• Greek Laws No.4564/2018 (as subsequently amended) and No.4917/2022