The Center for Preventive Paediatrics “Americos Argyriou” is a pioneering nonprofit organization in Limassol, renowned for its exceptional preventive healthcare services for children.
Founded in 1988, it operates on a worthy mission to provide free, premium screening programs across Cyprus, enabling the best start in life for every child.
Led by Dr. Americos Argyriou’s vision, the center plays a pivotal role in the community’s well-being, promoting equal access to public health services and striving for sustainable societal development.
Can you introduce your charity and provide an overview of its mission and purpose?
The Center for Preventive Paediatrics “Americos Argyriou” is a charity organization based in Limassol, Cyprus. Established in 1988, the Center is governed by an 11 membered board who serve as volunteers. Amongst the board members are those who also serve on the Theotokos Foundation’s board, others of varied professional backgrounds and the current president of the Pancyprian Gynaecological and the Pancyprian Paediatric Societies.
With its headquarters in Limassol and branches in all other towns, the Center offers specialized national prenatal and neonatal screening programs. The Center’s annual budget is partly covered by a government grant and through private donations offered by individuals, companies and organizations in addition to the fund-raising events organized by the Association of the Friends of the Center for Preventive Paediatrics “Americos Argyriou”.
What inspired the establishment of your charity, and what motivated its founders to address this particular cause?
With headquarters in Limassol and branches in all cities, the Center is active in the field of preventive paediatrics, specializing in mass screening programs for pregnant women and newborns.
Cyprus owes both the radical change in the living conditions and treatment of children with mental handicap, as well as the establishment of screening programs, to the initiator of this pioneering step, Dr. Americos Argyriou. Through the Theotokos Foundation, Dr Argyriou gave hope of life and dignity to people with mental handicap and their families. He himself, a tireless visionary, created and consolidated the Center for Preventive Paediatrics (named after him after his passing). Argyriou’s son, also a pediatrician, continues with the same zeal in the leadership of the Center.
Are there any specific populations or communities that your charity focuses on serving? What led to the decision to prioritize these groups?
“Prevention is better than cure”, the well-known proverb with origins from Hippocrates writings (460-377 B.C.) highlights the importance of disease prevention for better health and longevity. This is undoubtedly because health is each and every person’s most precious asset which must be safeguarded and nurtured so that the demands of daily life can be met. This becomes all the more effective when the prevention of disease can take place soon after a child is born. Certainly then, the practicing field of preventive paediatrics plays a determining and life-saving role for the health and life of an individual.
Screening is a method of identifying the individuals who are at an increased risk of suffering from a particular disease within an apparently healthy population. Such individuals are provided with appropriate counseling, further testing, and the appropriate therapy and follow-up required so as to minimize the risk and complications that may arise from the disease. A screening program comprises a series of controlled actions such as general public awareness, first and second-line testing, diagnostics, therapy and follow-up that evidently minimizes the repercussions of the disease. It is important that all the individuals within a targeted group (i.e pregnant women, newborns etc) are offered the screening.
The ongoing mission of the Center for Preventive Paediatrics “Americos Argyriou” is to offer all Cyprus residents with high quality screening programs so as to provide the best possible start in life to each and every child.
The Centre’s screening programs have always been and will continue to be offered FREE of charge to the entire population of Cyprus, supporting the principle of ‘equality’ in access to public health services and of ensuring maximum participation in these programs.
