Malaga hospital opens pioneering centre to study the impact of physical activity on children with cancer
The initiative, made possible with funding from the Cesare Scariolo Foundation, aims to reduce fatigue and the side effects of treatment for such youngsters
This Monday, Malaga city's children's and maternity hospital - affectionately known as just the Materno - inaugurated a new sports club for children, a pioneering space in the Spanish public healthcare system for leisure, fun and training for minors suffering from various types of cancer, thus incorporating adapted physical activity as part of the hospital's comprehensive approach to therapeutic treatments.
The new gym was made possible by a 25,000-euro donation from the Cesare Scariolo Foundation. The aim of this centre is to improve the emotional well-being of the children, reduce fatigue and the side effects of their treatments, strengthen their psychomotor development and foster socialisation within a safe environment. The donated funds were used to purchase sports, recreational and rehabilitation equipment and materials. The foundation, which has maintained a close relationship with the Materno since 2008, is thus reinforcing its commitment to humanising hospital care and improving the quality of life for patients.
Active research
The project is part of an ongoing research study on paediatric oncohematological (leukaemias and other blood-related cancers) rehabilitation, which will allow for a scientific evaluation of the impact of physical activity on quality of life and clinical evolution of children with these conditions.
The inauguration event was attended by the provincial delegate for the regional health ministry, Carlos Bautista, managing director of the Regional Hospital, José Antonio Ortega, deputy medical director of the Materno, Natalia Mena, as well as medical professionals from the hospital's paediatrics, hematology, rehabilitation and nursing services.
This sports club improves hospital care by encouraging these children's physical activity and well-being
Bautista stressed the importance of "expanding the scope of action practised in healthcare centres, so that hospitals incorporate projects and initiatives that allow patients to continue with their daily activities and their lives". Ortega asserted that this club represents a further step forward "in humanising paediatric care, creating a space where physical activity becomes a therapeutic tool".
"Coordinated effort"
Esmeralda Núñez, head of the paediatrics department and researcher at Malaga's biomedical research institute (Ibima-Plataforma Bionand), stated that "this project is the result of a coordinated effort made by various hospital departments with a common objective: to improve the quality of life of oncohematological patients by integrating physical exercise as part of their treatment and recovery". She also highlighted that the aim is "to scientifically measure how exercise influences the quality of life and clinical evolution of these children", a key element in improving their care.
The head of the Materno's rehabilitation service, Francisco Luna, stressed that "adapted physical activity favours psychomotor development, functionality and socialisation in children".
The club will operate under a specific protocol approved by various departments, including professional supervision and following all necessary hygiene and safety measures. It will serve as a platform for clinical innovation and applied research in childhood cancers, enabling progress to be made in new models of multidisciplinary care and personalised rehabilitation in the paediatric field.
