MOGADISHU, Somalia 

Open-heart surgeries could be carried out at a hospital named after the Turkish president and located in the Somali capital Mogadishu. 

The new department at Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital was opened with a ceremony on Monday thanks to cooperation between the Turkish and Somali health ministries.

"It is a great honor for me to participate in the opening of an important service to the Somali community. Many patients who need open-heart surgery lose their lives while dealing with high surgery and treatment costs and visa procedures,” said Somali Health Minister Ali Haji Adan.

Mevlut Karatas, the manager of the hospital, said with the new department, Somali heart patients will no longer need to go abroad for health services.

Noting that the hospital will also open a new unit for pediatrics and gynecology, Karatas said cancer treatment and other health services will also be expanded.

In the new department, open-heart surgeries will be performed by Somali doctors using modern equipment. In addition, seven specialists from Türkiye will help with the first surgeries.

Up to now, Somali patients have generally gone to India, Kenya, and Türkiye to access healthcare services such as open-heart surgery, organ transplants, cancer treatment and in vitro fertilization.​​​​​​​

Türkiye, a close ally of Somalia, has invested in its education, infrastructure, and health, and given it extensive humanitarian aid.

Türkiye has its largest embassy in Africa in Mogadishu and also built its largest overseas military facility there to train the Somali national army.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar​​​​​​​