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Elazig Hospital in Turkey, health, AFD Proparco
Providing access to care, cutting-edge equipment and jobs for women in eastern Turkey, Fethi Sekin public hospital has changed the lives of thousands of residents of Elazig and the surrounding region since opening in August 2018 with AFD support.

One year on, it’s as busy as ever. Fethi Sekin public hospital now receives nearly 10,000 visitors daily, with 7,000 patients, 1,300 of whom are receiving emergency care.

Covering 370,000 m², with 19 departments and 1,000 beds, it is the largest hospital complex in Elazig (a city of 375,000 people) and one of the largest in the eastern Anatolia region. The complex is made up of 5 sub-hospitals: a general hospital, two psychiatric hospitals, an oral health center, and a maternity ward coupled with a pediatric department.

“We have a great deal of high-quality equipment. It’s such a source of satisfaction to have access to these resources,” says one physical therapist. Since the hospital opened, the practitioner has been able to use equipment such as a rehabilitation machine that cannot be found anywhere else in the region.


A Massive Hospital Program

“The laboratory equipment is cutting edge. The local population is very happy with it,” says a proud Eren Ekmekçi, Deputy General Manager of Rönesans FMCO, one of the companies that received the public service delegation contract that led to the building of the hospital complex.

 


The project received a loan of €40 million from Proparco, AFD’s private sector subsidiary. It is part of a massive public-private partnership program for 22 hospitals rolled out by the Turkish Ministry for Health, and it illustrates AFD’s commitment to supporting Turkey’s policy of improving its public health offerings.


40% of Employees are Women

In addition to the quality of its healthcare, Fethi Sekin Hospital has had a positive impact on employment in the region. At the peak of activity, 5,000 workers were involved in construction, while 4,500 people now go to work each day at the hospital complex.

And that’s not all. “Some 40% of the employees are women. That’s a high figure for eastern Turkey, because it is sometimes difficult for women to work in the region,” says Ekmekçi.

This suggests that supporting the construction of a high-quality healthcare establishment improves the lives not only of patients, but of those living and working in the region.