President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the opening ceremony of Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also took part in the ceremony virtually.
Prior to the ceremony, President Erdogan made inspections at Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital. President Erdogan was accompanied by the Minister of Health, Dr. Fahrettin Koca and other government officials.
In his opening speech, Erdogan wished the hospital to lead to fruitful conclusions for Turkey, the Turkish people and the beautiful city of Istanbul and said, "Today, we are adding yet another achievement to our deep-rooted relations with Japan. The hospital was named after this cooperation, Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital. With its technological infrastructure, its annex buildings, facilities and many other features, this hospital will be a source of pride for both Istanbul and Turkey."
"Istanbul has become an international healthcare hub"
President Erdogan pointed out that when in full capacity, the hospital would offer healthcare services in 107 areas of specialty to 35 thousand outpatients a day and continued,"In addition to a parking lot with 8134 a capacity of 8134 cars, the hospital is also equipped with 3 helipads and will be at the service of both the Turkish people and foreign guests as it is very close to Istanbul Airport. So, now, Istanbul has become an international healthcare hub."
"We have sent medical supplies and masks to 82 countries"
Noting that during the course of the pandemic, in addition to meeting its own needs, Turkey had supported brotherly countries who were in need of medical supplies, and continued, "We have sent medical supplies and masks to 82 countries. We are all in this together, that is why we will keep on mobilizing what we have for the sake of the whole humanity."
In his speech, Minister of Health, Dr. Fahrettin Koca said that they were one step closer to a Turkey where everyone's right to health is protected, and everyone in need could easily access healthcare services of quality.
"This hospital is one of the largest in the world. This complex is not just a hospital", said Koca and continued, "This is a city of 8 hospitals. It has a total of 2682 beds, including 426 ICU beds, and 725 patient examination rooms. It is equipped with 90 full-fledged operating rooms, including 3 hybrid ones, 28 delivery rooms and 16 burn units. It has enough capacity to serve 35 thousand patients a day. With 2800 seismic isolators, this hospital is the world's largest building equipped with seismic isolators. This way, all services, including surgeries, will continue without interruption even in case of an earthquake."
"Turkey will make its mark on 21st century as the country of health"
Adding that they took yet another step to turn Turkey into a destination of international health tourism and health education, Koca continued,"City hospitals will allow us to offer the potential of Turkey to the rest of the world. We have a better infrastructure in health tourism compared to almost any other country. As we have always said, city hospitals are the final milestone of the hospital industry. However, it is our qualified healthcare personnel, who will turn these buildings into living entities. Our healthcare system is getting stronger every day and Turkey will make its mark on the 21st century as the country of health."
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