The major failures in public procurement, with enormous costs, continue unabated. This time, the issue has struck the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Makarios Hospital, a project crucial for public health. Once again, the unfulfilled reforms in the field of public procurement, along with inadequate oversight, are pushing matters to the limit.

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The long-awaited expansion and renovation of the Unit in Nicosia has been hit with yet another setback, with the project now expected to be completed in September 2027—two years later than originally planned.

The project, first discussed in 2019 and formally tendered in early 2025, was meant to deliver a state-of-the-art facility by September 2025. Instead, the initial contractor failed to begin construction, forcing the State Health Services Organization (OKYPY) to terminate the contract in July 2025. Although OKYPY managed to recover €1.3 million in guarantees and expects to regain control of the construction site by the end of October, the termination has triggered a lengthy reset of the tender process.

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According to OKYPY president Marinos Kallis, a new open competition will be launched in April 2026, with a contract award expected by July of that year. If no further appeals or disputes arise, the NICU should finally be delivered in September 2027—nearly five years after the initial foundation stone was laid by the President of the Republic in 2024.

The delays and shifting timelines have sparked fierce criticism from lawmakers and civil society groups. Opposition MP Nikos Kettiros (AKEL) accused OKYPY of hiding behind procedures while families wait: “This project should have been finished already. Parents and children cannot hear excuses.” Disy MP Savia Orphanidou also pressed for answers, noting that architectural designs had been ready for years and asking why the new tender could not be launched within a month rather than a year.

The parents’ association “Miracle Babies” has been particularly vocal. Its legal advisor, Christos Triantafyllides, argued that the law allows for an emergency negotiated procedure without a new tender, citing urgent health needs: “It is unacceptable to push this project to 2027. The law provides a solution, but OKYPY insists otherwise. Stop playing with the lives of premature babies.”

The group also highlighted the cost escalation. What began as a €3.5 million project in 2018 is now expected to exceed €6 million, with some estimates suggesting up to €9 million. The abandoned site has meanwhile blocked 15 parking spaces used by cancer patients at the neighboring Bank of Cyprus Oncology Center.

OKYPY insists that, despite the lack of space and outdated infrastructure, the current NICU at Makarios remains one of the best performing in Europe in terms of survival rates. Spokesman Pambos Harilaou reassured families that “no lives are at risk,” while acknowledging the pressing need for expanded facilities: “We want to provide a space where both parents can be with their baby in comfort. That is why we are moving forward.”

Still, frustration is growing. As “Miracle Babies” president Elena Megalemou noted, “prematurity is rising, mothers don’t even have a chair to sit next to their newborns, and all we hear are new dates.”