EU Ambassadors, Ministry of Health and AFD at the Groundbreaking Ceremony of the New State Hospital in Hatay-Dörtyol
The EU, together with the Ministry of Health and the French Development Agency (AFD), attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the new state hospital in Hatay today. The ceremony was held with the participation of more than 500 people, in addition to French Ambassador Charles Fries, Health Investments General Manager Hüseyin İnceöz from the Ministry of Health, Erol Özkan, Deputy Governor of Hatay, and Ambassador Christian BERGER, Head of the EU Delegation to Turkey.
The hospital, scheduled for completion in March 2021, is part of a health infrastructure project financed by the EU's Facility for Refugees in Turkey with a budget of €40 million. With a minimum bed capacity of 250, the hospital's capacity can exceed 400 beds, including 336 service beds, 56 intensive care beds and 25 hemodialysis units.
In total, the EU provided Turkey with approximately €600 million in support to meet the needs of refugees and host communities in the healthcare sector, of which €90 million was channeled into healthcare infrastructure. These funds are provided under the first 3 billion Euro tranche of the EU's Facility for Refugees in Turkey, followed by the second 3 billion tranche to be implemented.
The "Construction of a State Hospital in Hatay" project with a budget of 40 million Euros implemented by AFD is also compatible with the "Health Infrastructure in Kilis" project with a budget of 50 million Euros implemented by the European Council Development Bank. Both health infrastructure projects are carried out in coordination with the pioneering SIHHAT project with a budget of 300 million Euros carried out by the Ministry of Health to support refugees' access to health services. In addition, a number of complementary studies are carried out through other projects implemented by different partners, including the World Health Organization.
All projects are being developed in close partnership with the Ministry of Health to increase the accessibility and quality of health services for Syrians under temporary protection and host communities in Turkey.
Speaking at the ceremony, Head of the EU Delegation to Turkey Ambassador Christian Berger said:
"The construction of the second public hospital in Kilis, financed entirely within the scope of the Financial Assistance Program, will also begin in the coming weeks. The total investment in hospitals is over 80 million Euros. The total support provided by the EU within the first tranche of the Financial Aid Program in the health sector is 600 million Euros. Complementary support is provided to infrastructure projects in the field of health, with the pioneering SIHHAT project, with a budget of 300 million Euros, implemented by the Ministry of Health.
Preliminary information
Facility for Refugees in Turkey
The European Union has been supporting Turkey in response to the refugee crisis since 2011. This support was initially provided by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), but in the face of the protracted crisis, other financial instruments of the EU for medium and long-term interventions were added to these aids.
With the implementation of the EU's Financial Assistance Program for Refugees in Turkey in January 2016, the assistance provided was significantly increased, and within this scope, a package of 6 billion Euros, which will be implemented in two tranches of 3 billion Euros each, was mobilized. The €3 billion First tranche is contracted to benefit refugees and host aggregates by providing support in key areas such as education, health, infrastructure, socio-economic development, protection and migration management. Within the scope of the first 3 billion Euro tranche, 72 projects are still in progress, and since 2018, the second 3 billion Euro tranche has been mobilized and projects worth 450 million Euros are ongoing. This funding is in addition to the approximately EUR 350 million provided to Turkey in support of refugees since the beginning of the crisis and bilateral assistance provided by Member States.
EU support for the health system in Turkey
There are 3.6 million Syrian refugees living in different provinces across Turkey. The Turkish Government is making a tremendous effort to ensure that Syrians under temporary protection and host communities have access to health care. The EU stands by Turkey to support these efforts in the health sector.
The EU supports the work of the Ministry of Health by providing hospital construction and operational support, such as the Direct Grant to the Ministry of Health or the complementary initiatives of the World Health Organization and other partners. All these efforts are integral parts of the approximately €600 million allocated to the health sector under the EU's Facility for Refugees in Turkey.
Source of news;
https://www.avrupa.info.tr/tr/pr/ab-buyukelcileri-saglik-bakanligi-ve-afd-hatay-dortyoldaki-yeni-state-hastanesini-temel-atm