Ninth round of local town halls on new SNF hospitals in Sparta, Thessaloniki, and Komotini concludes

With the three new state-of-the-art Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) hospitals one step closer to completion, SNF, in keeping with its commitment to open communication with the local communities of Thessaloniki, Komotini, and Sparta, organized yet another round of public town hall discussions.

The first town hall meeting, concerning the SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki—the country’s first dedicated pediatric hospital outside Athens—took place in Filyro on February 2, followed by a meeting in Komotini on the new SNF General Hospital of Komotini on February 3 and a meeting on the new General Hospital of Sparta on February 9. This new round of town hall discussions—the ninth—featured representatives of SNF, the Greek Ministry of Health, Project Manager Hill International, and construction contractor AVAX Group, who presented the progress of the projects. In attendance were local political and religious leaders, representatives of the regional health districts and authorities, and health professionals, as well as residents of the three cities and the wider regions who actively participated. 

Deputy Minister of Health Marios Themistocleous gave remarks on behalf of the state, saying, “Construction of the new hospitals in Komotini, Thessaloniki, and Sparta is progressing smoothly and in line with an established timeline. These projects are designed with a focus on innovation, sustainability and cutting-edge technology with the goal of delivering top-notch care to patients. Their integration into the National Health System (NHS) will be a significant step towards upgrading public health services in Greece, strengthening local communities and promoting equal access to the NHS. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and its Co-President, Andreas Dracopoulos. The Foundation’s overall contribution to the NHS, totaling more than 1 billion euros, is reflected not only in the size of the grants but, more importantly, in the mark they will leave behind. These interventions mark the next chapter for the NHS: a health system that is stronger, more modern, innovative, and focused on serving the public.”

SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos said, via livestream, “The town hall discussions we have been organizing regularly since 2019 in Thessaloniki, Komotini, and Sparta—now nine in total—serve to inform local communities about the progress of each project, as well as to provide opportunities to discuss any pertinent issues. We are filled with hope and joy by the active participation these meetings see and the authentic dialogue that has developed, with various ideas emerging that have already been incorporated into the design of the hospitals. As we have already mentioned, these hospitals are being constructed and outfitted to be handed over to the Greek National Health System, with the ultimate beneficiaries being the public themselves. It is therefore particularly encouraging that, even at this phase of the projects, participants have demonstrated a sense of shared responsibility, sharing a concern for the implementation of the best possible practices and standards, as well as for the creation of hospitals that will meet the needs of local communities and the wider regions effectively.”

• The three new hospitals, created as part of SNF’s Global Health Initiative (GHI) in partnership with the Greek state, constitute one of the most important projects in Greece’s health sector at this time, aiming to help improve access to high-quality health services for the residents of regions beyond Athens.
• The hospitals are designed by the architectural firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) with the goal of serving as reference points for the National Health System, incorporating a human-centric approach and helping set the bar for future hospitals globally. At the same time, they aim to fulfill LEED Platinum certification requirements—one of the leading international sustainability certifications—with the goal of achieving near carbon neutrality. Among other things, the certification also includes measures to protect the environment from the impact of construction, while taking into account the origin and lifecycle of materials and reduction in water consumption. The U.S. Green Building Council, which developed the LEED certification program, will also utilize the SNF hospitals for the development of a new framework of standards. This framework determines the basic requirements that must be met for a building to achieve zero-carbon readiness. The ultimate future goal is for these standards to be applied internationally to other health care facilities, as well as to buildings serving other purposes.
• Construction, which began in 2024, is now entering the final stretch, with completion expected in early 2027. The hospitals will be delivered to the Greek people outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment immediately operational within the framework of the National Health System. 
• 95% of the selection of medical equipment for the three hospitals has been completed, with delivery of certain items already underway.
• Currently, the construction of all three hospitals focuses, among other things, on fire-resistant wooden structures with increased resistance to fire conditions, which are being used for the first time in Greece. The use of wood as an essential building material also contributes to the energy efficiency of hospitals. At the same time, in September 2025, an innovative fire safety certification was secured for all three new hospitals.
• Nature will play a central and therapeutic role at the hospitals, and great care is being given to the landscaping that will surround them. More than 2,300 trees of the 2,700 that will eventually be planted at the three hospitals have been selected. The trees will remain in their nurseries until it is time to plant them. 
• Collaborations are being established with leading international health institutions, such NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University, in partnership with the Greek government, in order to strengthen the three hospitals and to further develop the pediatric cardiology and pediatric cardiac surgery department at the SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki.
• The clinical program of the SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki was further enriched following consultations between SNF, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine, and the Greek government. The additions include, among other things, the creation of a 20-bed mental health unit for children and adolescents, a second 1.5-tesla 3D MRI scanner, a bone marrow transplant unit, a central breast milk bank, laboratories for infectious diseases, histocompatibility, genetic testing, and more.
• Similarly, following the final round of consultations with the local medical community in Komotini and the Greek government, the clinical program of the new SNF General Hospital of Komotini has expanded to include, representatively, a 3D mammography unit, a 3-tesla MRI scanner and two additional operating rooms. 

The grant for the design, construction, and outfitting of the three state-of-the-art new SNF public hospitals is part of the billion-dollar-plus Global Health Initiative (GHI) funded exclusively by SNF.