Yılmaz, who came to Nicosia to attend the Opening Ceremony of Kyrenia State Hospital and Güzelyurt State Hospital and to make various contacts, was welcomed at Ercan Airport by Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ünal Üstel, Türkiye's Ambassador to Nicosia Ali Murat Başçeri and other relevant people.
Yılmaz, who inspected the construction site of Nicosia State Hospital, then went to Kyrenia State Hospital to attend the opening ceremony.
Speaking at the ceremony held here, Yılmaz said that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, they have made great strides in the field of health in Türkiye, created capacities, approached projects in the TRNC in the same way and with sensitivity, and that they have a very productive cooperation with the TRNC authorities in this sense.
Stating that they allocated 1 billion 514 million Turkish liras to the health sector within the scope of 2026 Economic and Financial Cooperation, and that they carried out various studies to provide health services at a higher standard as well as strengthening the existing facilities with this resource, Yılmaz said, "The investments made by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus with its own resources and the contributions offered by the Republic of Turkey are not separate from each other, but complementary. When we plan together, we complete each other. The abundance of resources also increases. Today "The hospitals we opened in Kyrenia and Güzelyurt constitute an important stage of our joint work in the field of health." he said.
Yılmaz stated that they have improved the capacity of Lapta Health Center in the last 14 months and that they have opened Maraş Health Center, Değirmenlik Health Center and Dikmen Health Center one after the other and said, "The construction of the new Nicosia Hospital, which we will say will be the flagship of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the field of health, is also continuing rapidly." he said.
Stating that the construction of Pamuklu State Hospital continues rapidly and that it will be completed at the end of this year, Yılmaz said:
"Together, we opened the Kyrenia Military Hospital on 24 December 1963, which enables both civilian citizens and military personnel to receive service in Kyrenia in 2024. With this facility we opened today, we are taking this service move, which is rising in every part of the island, to a further point. New Kyrenia State Hospital is an important health investment that has been implemented with the TRNC's own resources.
In order to strengthen the medical infrastructure of this hospital, we provided 185 items of medical devices and 125 patient beds. This hospital, which has a closed area of approximately 12 thousand square meters and a total bed capacity of 146 with all its units, has a very important position in meeting the needs of Kyrenia. With 5 operating rooms and a 10-bed intensive care unit, a strong capacity has been created in Kyrenia to perform more comprehensive surgical interventions and continue the treatment of seriously ill patients. "Thus, the need for our patients in various branches to go to other centers for diagnosis and treatment has decreased."
"WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE DETERMINED SUPPORT TO TRNC'S DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY"
Yılmaz stated that a unit with a capacity of 12 patients was commissioned for patients receiving dialysis treatment, that there are 2 delivery rooms for mothers and babies, and that when considered together with physical therapy and rehabilitation services, access to the health care needed in different periods of life is strengthened and said, "Equipping the emergency department with its own tomography and x-ray units will help our physicians make quick decisions and intervene in cases where there is a race against time. These are important. This tomography infrastructure is provided for the first time on this occasion. For our citizens and patients." "It is a good service. The provision of services by the 24 December 1963 Kyrenia Military Hospital and the New Kyrenia State Hospital in Kyrenia in the future will significantly strengthen the health capacity of the region." shared his knowledge.
Reminding that a hospital was opened in Güzelyurt as well as Yeni Kyrenia Hospital, Yılmaz continued as follows:
"We allocated a resource of 185 million liras for Güzelyurt State Hospital and converted 158.6 million Turkish liras of this resource into direct investment. We transferred 17 million liras of resources to Güzelyurt Municipality for all environmental works, from landscaping to infrastructure connections, from transportation to lighting. By offering polyclinics in child health, gynecology, cardiology and other branches, as well as hemodialysis and physical therapy services in this hospital, many health needs of citizens are met. Güzelyurt Hospital has become able to respond on-site.
The emergency service, which is supported by a special emergency area for children, tomography, x-ray, ultrasound and laboratory facilities, is an important gain in terms of timely intervention to our patients. Our main goal has been to prevent our citizens from having to go to the roads for health services and to eliminate waste of time in emergency cases. With the opportunities provided, we are increasing the number of hospitals where cardiovascular operations are performed directly. Our Famagusta Hospital is one of them. We are trying to reduce the need to be transferred to Nicosia in critical cases where there is a race against time. As a matter of fact, we were pleased to follow the news that appeared in the press this week that our Famagusta State Hospital successfully performed its first bypass surgery, a historical step. We congratulate everyone who made this happen."
Cevdet Yılmaz stated that, as Turkey, they find this strong investment will of the TRNC with its own means extremely valuable, and said, "Even if some people make inhumane isolations and obstructions that do not comply with any law, the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are building their future in the strongest way in the unity of destiny, and they will continue to do so. No one should doubt this." he said.
Underlining that the TRNC will be a much more developed and developed country 25 years from now, Yılmaz said, "In the coming period, we will continue to provide determined support to the development journey of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in every field, from health to infrastructure, from education to agriculture, to digital transformation. These two works rising in Kyrenia and Güzelyurt today are strong signs of our common goals and unwavering cooperation. Our wish is that these hospitals will not only benefit our present but also the health of our future generations." It constitutes a guarantee for he said.
Following the speeches, Kyrenia and Güzelyurt state hospitals were opened with the ribbon cutting of the protocol members.
TRNC Republican Assembly Speaker Ziya Öztürkler, TRNC Prime Minister Üstel, TRNC Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Ataoğlu and Türkiye's Nicosia Ambassador Başçeri were also present at the ceremony.
