Turkey fights COVID-19 with 17 new hospitals

ANKARA

As part of a Health Transformation Program launched in 2003, the number of health facilities in Turkey has increased along with many policies aimed at providing better quality and accessible services. 

During the COVID-19 outbreak, health investments were further accelerated, and new hospitals were opened in many provinces and districts last year.

In 2020, a total of 17 giant hospitals were built in nine provinces, to provide health services without interruption.

In this process, all medical facilities, especially the city hospitals, which stand out with their intensive care and bed capacities, played an active role in the successful struggle against COVID-19.

Also last year, the Lefkosa Emergency Hospital with 100 beds and six operating rooms, built by the Health Ministry in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), was put into service during the fight against the pandemic.

Hospitals which started to operate in the provinces last year are as follows:

March 6, 2020

Mersin University Oncology Hospital, built on 14,500 square meters (over 156,000 square feet) closed space in Turkey's Mediterranean region, opened on March 6, 2020 with a capacity of 150 beds.

March 30, 2020

The Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital in Turkey's metropolitan province of Istanbul was rebuilt because it was not quake-resistant and it was named after Dr. Cemil Tascioglu, who died due to COVID-19 in the hospital.

Some 385 seismic insulators used in the construction of the hospital which began to receive patients on March 30, 2020 have the ability to absorb about 90% of the load in case of an earthquake.

So the hospital can provide uninterrupted service during an earthquake.

The hospital, which has 750 beds in regular oeriods, is in use with 600 beds, 99 of which are in intensive care due to the outbreak.  

April 8, 2020

Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital Basibuyuk Additional Service Building started to serve on April 8, 2020 in Istanbul.

Thanks to 829 seismic isolators used in its construction, the hospital, which has the ability to continue operations even during an earthquake and provide uninterrupted medical services, has a closed area of 113,000 square meters (over 1.2 million square feet).

The hospital has 535 patient beds, 62 emergency room observation beds, 29 operating rooms, 60 adult intensive care beds with Level 3 ventilators, nine intensive care isolation rooms and 195 outpatient rooms.   

May 18, 2020

Erzurum City Hospital, located in the country's northeastern province of Erzurum and one of the most important health projects in eastern Anatolia and considered the region’s health base, was established on an area of 400,000 square meters (over 4.3 million square feet).

The city hospital has a total of 914 patient rooms, of which 786 are single and 128 double.     

May 21, 2020

Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital in Istanbul, built on an area of 789,000 square meters (over 8.4 million square feet) with a closed space of 1.21 million square meters (over 13 million square feet) was supported with 2,068 seismic isolators for earthquake resistance.

In addition, the hospital, consisting of ten blocks with three heliports, has a total capacity of 2,682 beds, 456 of which are intensive care beds.

In the hospital, there are four separate emergency departments, including adult, child, trauma, and obstetrics, within 30,000 square meters (322,000 square feet) of closed area.

The hospital has 725 outpatient rooms and 90 operating rooms, a capacity that can accept 35,000 outpatients per day.   

May 29, 2020

Built on an area of 125,000 square meters (over 1.3 million square feet) in the Sancaktepe District of Istanbul, Prof. Dr. Feriha Oz Emergency Hospital provides health services with a closed area of 75,000 square meters (807,000 square feet).

Each room of the hospital with a capacity of 1,008 beds can be converted to intensive care at will.

In addition to 500 car parking and 16 operating rooms, the medical facility has 576 en suite patient bedrooms, 432 intensive care beds, 36 emergency observation beds, eight triage, two CRP, four CT, four MRI, and two X-ray rooms.   

May 31, 2020

Yesilkoy Prof. Dr. Murat Dilmener Emergency Hospital was built on a total area of 125,000 square meters in Istanbul.

Opened on May 31, 2020, the hospital with a closed area of 75,000 square meters, has a total of 1,008 beds, which can be converted to intensive care at will.

432 beds of these are already in the ICU.

The hospital also has 16 operating rooms.

Dr. Ismail Niyazi Kurtulmus Hospital, which started serving at the same day in Istanbul, is based on 23 acres of land and has a closed area of 4,500 square meters (over 48,000 square feet).

The hospital provides services with 101 beds, 59 of which are in intensive care.   

June 20, 2020

Marmara University Prof. Dr. Asaf Ataseven Hospital, which started to operate in June 20, 2020 in Basibuyuk Campus in Istanbul, was powered by 827 seismic isolators.

Thousands of patients were treated during the pandemic at the hospital, which was designed to be resistant to disasters and provide uninterrupted service even during earthquakes.

The hospital, with a closed area of 113,000 square meters (over 1.2 million square feet), has 155 outpatient clinics, 60 intensive care 530 beds ,and 28 operating rooms.  

July 4, 2020

Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar City Hospital, which opened on July 4 in Istanbul, has a total of 855 earthquake insulators, 1,105 bed capacity, 145 intensive care, 250 outpatient clinics, 45 operating rooms, and 110 emergency observation beds.  

Sept. 5, 2020

Goztepe Prof. Dr. Suleyman Yalcin City Hospital started to serve on Sept. 5, 2020 as the forth city hospital of Istanbul.

Some 385 isolators in the first phase will be increased to 503 upon completion of all phases.

So the hospital can continue to serve even during and after a magnitude-8 earthquake.

The number of beds in the hospital will increase from 786 to 1,146 with the completion of the second phase of the health complex.  

Sept. 6, 2020

Bilecik State Hospital in southwestern Turkey, which began to receive patients on Sept. 6, 2020, serves with 87 outpatient clinics, 11 operating rooms at international standards, and a total of 44 intensive care beds, including 27 for adults and 17 for newborns.

A total of 300 beds in the hospital have 408 seismic isolators that minimize possible damage during an earthquake and ensure uninterrupted service.  

Oct. 2, 2020

Konya City Hospital, located in central Turkey and opened on Oct. 2, 2020, serves with a total of 1,250 beds, 256 of which are intensive care, 108 emergency and 30 of which are dialysis beds.

The hospital, which has 380 outpatient clinics and 49 operating rooms, has 73 imaging rooms, 442 single beds, 272 two-bed rooms, as well as eight suite rooms.

It has continuous energy with trigeneration system, and also a helipad for air ambulances to use.  

Nov. 13, 2020

Tekirdag Ismail Fehmi Cumalioglu City Hospital in the country's northwestern region was inaugurated on Nov. 13, 2020, and has 566 beds, 124 outpatient clinics, 18 operating rooms, and 102 intensive care beds.

The hospital, which is one of the city hospitals with earthquake insulator and built with a smart building concept, has trigeneration heating and cooling systems.  

Nov. 15, 2020

Lefkosa Emergency Hospital, built by the Health Ministry on 20,000 square meters (215,000 square feet) of land in the TRNC, opened on Nov. 15, 2020.

The hospital, which has a closed area of about 14,000 square meters (over 150,000 square feet), has 24 intensive care beds, 64 patient beds in single rooms, 12 emergency observation beds with a total of 100 beds and six operating rooms.  

Nov. 30, 2020

In its new building, Bayburt State Hospital, which began admitting patients on Nov. 30, 2020, has a capacity of 200 beds in northeastern Turkey.  

Dec. 7, 2020

Giresun University Training and Research Hospital in Turkey's Black Sea region, which opened on Dec. 7, 2020 with all its units, has a capacity of 350 beds in total.  

Dec. 16, 2020

Batman Training and Research Hospital with a capacity of 810 beds, which was inaugurated on Dec. 16, 2020, was built on an area of 90,000 square meters (over 968,000 square feet) in southeastern Turkey.

The hospital also has 18 operating rooms and 130 intensive care beds. 

Modern hospitals in districts

In addition to the giant hospitals built in the provinces, modern hospital buildings were also built in the districts to provide better quality and efficient health care.

Some of them are as follows:  

May 16, 2020

Mentese State Hospital in Mugla, southwestern province of Turkey, which has been renovated, began admitting patients on May 16, 2020.

The hospital has a capacity of 100 beds.  

July 25, 2020

Ferizli District State Hospital's new service building was opened in Turkey’s northwestern province of Sakarya.  

Aug. 5, 2020

Andirin State Hospital in Kahramanmaras, southeastern Turkey, started to serve in its new building.

The hospital, which has a closed area of 7,675 square meters (over 82,000 square feet), has a capacity of 30 beds in total.  

Sept. 21, 2020

Adana Ceyhan State Hospital, located in Turkey’s southern province of Adana, with a total closed area of 43,728 square meters (over 470,000 square feet) and 285 beds was opened to the service of citizens.  

Nov. 4, 2020

In northwestern Turkey, a new building of Kirklareli Luleburgaz State Hospital with a total of 300 beds opened on Nov. 4, 2020.  

Nov. 23, 2020

Vezirkopru State Hospital, built in the country’s Black Sea region of Samsun, has a capacity of 200 beds.  

Dec. 18, 2020

Sason State Hospital, whose construction was completed in Turkey’s southeastern province of Batman and began admitting patients on Dec. 18, 2020, has a capacity of 50 beds.  

54 hospitals to be completed in 2021

The Turkish Health Ministry’s data shows that a total of 678 hospitals were built in Turkey in 2003-2020.

In March-November 2020, during the fight against the pandemic, a total bed capacity increase of 12,350 was achieved in public hospitals, including 4,830 in newly opened medical facilities, 4,286 in additional service buildings, 1,462 in medical facilities which moved to new buildings and 1,772 in existing hospitals.

During the same period, a total of 3,427 rise was achieved in the number of intensive care beds, of which 3,144 were for adults, 125 for children and 158 for newborns under COVID-19 measures.

Construction of another 54 hospitals is expected to be completed this year. 

*Writing by Merve Berker.