Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the new public care home for older people in Kilkis this morning, along with infrastructure projects under construction to improve road links in Central Macedonia and local businesses.
The Prime Minister, accompanied by Minister of Social Cohesion and Family Affairs Domna Michailidou, Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Thanasis Kontogeorgis and Kilkis MP George Georgantas, visited the new Kilkis Nursing Home and Chronic Illness Treatment Centre. The facility was recently completed following a government commitment and is an annex of the Central Macedonia Social Welfare Centre.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis was shown around the facility by the Centre’s head, Thanasis Maslarinos, and the facility’s manager, Symeon Poumpouridis. It has 50 beds and provides medical and pharmaceutical care, nursing, rehabilitation services, accommodation and meals for its 38 residents in specially equipped spaces.
Prime Minister’s remarks
At the end of his visit, the Prime Minister said: “I want to congratulate the Minister, but also the Vice-President of Parliament, because, with great persistence, they finally managed to resolve a long-standing problem for Kilkis.
I remember our MP, George Georgantas, referring in 2019 to this half-finished building, whose construction had begun in 2006.
After a tremendous effort and with great persistence, and following the creation of the Ministry of Family Affairs and Social Cohesion, which took responsibility for completing the project, we are now very pleased to have a fully operational public nursing home. It cares for older people and people with chronic illnesses from the wider Kilkis area, with 30 employees who, with great affection and dedication, give back to our older fellow citizens what they in turn gave us at another time in our lives.
Equipment and priorities
I also want to give special mention to the Union of Greek Shipowners. Its president responded immediately to my request to equip the nursing home with state-of-the-art equipment and functional furniture, enabling it to operate as we had planned and envisioned.
As the Minister said, in a society facing a demographic problem and growing older, caring for our older fellow citizens has now become a top policy priority.
I would say this facility here in Kilkis offers a glimpse of a future we must build together, with many more care homes for older people, support for those with chronic illnesses and more policies to address dementia. These are priorities the government places high on its political agenda.
Michailidou’s remarks
So, once again, warm congratulations and a big thank you to all the employees, who genuinely care for our older fellow citizens with great affection. And may many more such projects be completed in this field.”
Minister of Social Cohesion and Family Affairs Domna Michailidou said: “It is with great joy and even greater pride that we welcome the country’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to the Kilkis nursing home today. The project began in 2006, but after considerable difficulties, and after this government took it over in 2019, it has now been completed.
Thirty-eight older people and people with chronic illnesses are now being cared for here in Kilkis, with great dedication, attention and care. The centre was completed thanks in large part to the efforts of the Vice-President of Parliament, George Georgantas.
Continuing care initiatives
I want to thank the Prime Minister from the bottom of my heart. Since 2019, he has made it a major priority to establish a fully public nursing home that cares for our people here in remote, border-region Kilkis. Our staff—30 employees providing care—give our residents affection every day.
We are not stopping here. We will continue our work for older people and families, for those who cared for us and raised us, and to whom we are now giving something back.
Mr President, thank you very much. Without your persistence and support, we would not have succeeded.”
Road connectivity projects
The Prime Minister’s first stop was the construction site on the road section between the Assiros and Nea Santa grade-separated interchanges, which will upgrade the Kilkis-Thessaloniki link to a modern motorway.
The section, comprising 14 kilometres of motorway and 26 kilometres of parallel roads, will substantially improve the Thessaloniki-Kilkis connection, enhancing road safety and making it easier to reach the area’s production and industrial facilities.
The Prime Minister, accompanied by New Democracy MP for Kilkis George Georgantas, was briefed by the project’s supervising engineers on progress and the timetable for the work, which is expected to be completed in spring 2027.
Business visits
Kyriakos Mitsotakis then visited the new facility of the agricultural business “Kehagia Mushrooms”, where he was shown around the production line, including the packaging area and the mushroom-growing rooms.
The Prime Minister also visited the facilities of “Zincometal S.A.”, a company specialising in the manufacture of lighting masts and columns, as well as road safety infrastructure, and employing more than 130 people. Kyriakos Mitsotakis was briefed on the company’s production processes and substantial export activity in Europe and Africa, as well as its involvement in major projects in Greece.