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A new state hospital is inaugurated in Kilis

Kilis - The 400-bed Kilis Prof. Dr. Alâeddin Yavaşca Public Hospital, built with a €50 million EU grant and equipped with state-of-the-art technology, was opened on 6 December in a ceremony attended by the Deputy Minister of Health Tolga Tolunay, EU Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, and Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) Vice-Governor Tomáš Boček. The new hospital and its annex building will significantly contribute to health services delivered in Kilis and the surrounding areas, increasing healthcare capacity within the city by 300 per cent.

The hospital can serve 3,000 people simultaneously with its 400 beds, 19 outpatient clinics, and Oral and Dental Health Centre (ODHC).

Funded from the EU refugee assistance programme for Türkiye, the hospital project was supervised by the CEB and implemented by the Ministry of Health. With the completion of the Kilis Prof. Dr. Alâeddin Yavaşca Public Hospital, the existing public hospital will continue to serve as an annex building. Therefore, the new Kilis hospital complex will have the capacity to serve 5,000 people at any time, considerably improving access to healthcare in Kilis, whose population almost doubled with the arrival of Syrian refugees.

Equipped with advanced technology, the new building includes 24 operating theatres, state-of-the-art imaging systems, a 24/7 emergency service, an Oral and Dental Health Centre with 50 dental health units, outpatient clinics in 19 disciplines, and comprehensive intensive care units. The hospital has an MRI device, 10 X-ray rooms, mammography and tomography rooms, seven ultrasound rooms, as well as a world-class biochemistry laboratory and two dialysis rooms with a capacity of 12 beds.

CEB Vice-Governor Tomáš Boček commended the excellent cooperation between Türkiye, the CEB and the European Union, which enabled the hospital to be built in only four years, for the benefit of all people living in Kilis. He added: “I am convinced that the experience gained in implementing the hospital can serve as an example for similar investments in the future.”

Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, said: “Kilis is one of the provinces with the densest Syrian refugee populations in Türkiye. The European Union has made a significant contribution to Kilis through the financing of this new 400-bed hospital, aiming to ensure that the health infrastructure in Kilis attains the capacity needed to meet the needs of the growing population.”

Deputy Minister of Health Assistant Professor Tolga Tolunay said, “By means of the projects we carry out in cooperation with the European Union, we aim to provide accessible, quality, and continuous healthcare services to all our citizens and our refugee brothers and sisters that we are hosting in our country within the scope of the national health system. Our new hospital in Kilis is part of these efforts, and I believe that it will make a great contribution to the people living in the region.”

Ayten Yavaşca, wife of the late Prof. Alâeddin Yavaşca, who attended the opening ceremony, expressed her satisfaction that the hospital was named after the Professor, medical doctor and national artist.

The hospital commemorates Prof. Alâeddin Yavaşca, one of the greatest names originating from Kilis, who passed away last year. The Professor, whose family has had roots in Kilis for more than four hundred years, was a figure that became synonymous with Kilis. His wife Ayten Yavaşca, said, “He loved Kilis very much and always shared memories of his childhood here with us every time we visited.”

The event participants were informed about the hospital

Following the opening speeches, the participants toured the hospital and received detailed information about the latest technologies used and the capacity of the hospital. Kilis Governor Recep Soytürk, Kilis MP Ahmet Salih Dal, Kilis MP Mustafa Hilmi Ülger, and Kilis Mayor Servet Ramazan also toured the hospital. Provincial Health Director Dr Mahmut Arık and Chief Physician Dr Fazıl Arısoy informed participants about the hospital.

Kilis Governor Recep Soytürk said, “Since 2011, the Republic of Türkiye has not remained a bystander to the events taking place in its immediate vicinity, and has followed an open-door policy for Syrians fleeing their country, giving them a “temporary protection” status, under which they can access basic services such as health and education. Kilis is the only province in Türkiye that hosts more migrants than its own population.” He stated that intense efforts were being carried out to meet the needs of the rapidly growing population.

Kilis MP Ahmet Salih Dal said, “Thanks to this new 400-bed hospital equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and experienced physicians, comprehensive health services will be provided to both the people of Kilis and Syrian refugees. This is a source of pride for our region.”

Kilis MP Mustafa Hilmi Ülger said, “We wish that the new hospital, which will provide easily accessible health services to the people of Kilis and the surrounding region, will be auspicious. The fact that our new hospital is named after Prof. Alâeddin Yavaşca, one of the important people to come from Kilis, has made us very happy.”

Speaking about their contribution to the hospital project, Kilis Mayor Servet Ramazan said, “As the City of Kilis, we have completed the road construction, infrastructure, landscaping and signposting works of the new hospital in order for our citizens to have comfortable and safe access to the new Kilis Public Hospital. We have completed all works to offer the people of Kilis the easiest access to the hospital.”

Healthcare for 5,000 people a day

Highlighting the 300 per cent increase in Kilis’ healthcare capacity thanks to the new hospital, the officials provided further explanations.

Dr Mahmut Arık, Provincial Director of Health in Kilis, stated that despite the pandemic conditions, all the teams involved had worked tirelessly for the construction of the hospital, and as the Ministry of Health, they were pleased that the hospital was put into service in such a swift manner with all the expert staff in place. Arık said that the hospital, funded by the European Union’s refugee assistance to Türkiye, will play an important role in alleviating the healthcare burden of the city.

Kilis Prof. Dr. Alâeddin Yavaşca Public Hospital and Annex Building Chief Physician Dr Fazıl Arısoy said, “In addition to the service we provide in our new hospital with our specialist physician staff and health personnel, our existing hospital will continue to serve as an annex building. With a total capacity of 600 beds, we are ready to treat more than 5,000 patients a day. We are ready to provide the best service to everyone living in and around Kilis and in need of health services.”

About the Hospital project

The European Union provided EUR 50 million funding for the Kilis Prof. Dr. Alâeddin Yavaşca Public Hospital through the EU Facility for Refugees in Türkiye (FRiT). The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) managed the EU funding as part of the project and was responsible for the supervision of the hospital construction and equipment. The implementation of the hospital project was carried out by the Ministry of Health.

The new hospital, which gradually started welcoming patients in June 2022, will serve more than 3,000 people a day with its 19 outpatient clinics and Oral and Dental Health Centre.

European Union assistance for refugees in Türkiye (FRiT)

The EU refugee assistance, which manages in total more than EUR 10 billion in funds, provides for a joint coordination mechanism, designed to ensure that the needs of refugees and host communities in Türkiye are addressed in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. The EU refugee assistance mainly focuses on humanitarian assistance, education, health, municipal infrastructure, and socio-economic support.

Details on EU refugee programmes are available at:
https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/news_corner/migration_en