Excerpts: The Archbishop Makarios III Hospital in Cyprus has launched a project to minimize cell phone and wireless radiation exposure to pediatric patients.
- Wi-Fi is disabled and replaced with ethernet connections in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Neonatal unit.
- Parents are educated to keep cell phones away from children and out of the pediatric units.
The Campaign is a cooperation between the Archbishop Makarios III Hospital (NAM III) and the Cyprus Committee on the Environment and Children’s Health (CyCECH) with the active support of the Executive Director of the Archbishop Makarios III Hospital, Dr. A. Neophytou, the Director of the Pediatrics Department, Dr. A. Elia. It is a collaboration of Dr. Andreas Sergis and Dr Antonis Kleanthous and the nursing staff of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
The initiative was detailed in a June 24, 2019 Press conference where authorities also shared the new wireless public awareness campaign. In his address Dr. Andreas Neophytou said, “We are reducing direct and passive exposure of children to non-ionizing radiation. We protect the children.”
He pointed out that the pilot project indicated that the use of Wi-Fi at the Pediatric Intensive Therapy Unit (PITU) creates levels of continuous and uninterrupted passive as well as significant active exposure at levels much higher than biologically-based safety criteria.
Donation of wired computers. Photo: Dr. Andreas Neofytou, Executive Director of the Makarios Hospital Dr. Stella Canna Michaelidou, President of the Cyprus Committee; Dr. Theodora Metsis, Dr. Andreas Sergis of the Intensive Care Unit of the Makarios Hospital; not present is Dr Antonis Kleanthous.
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