Erdoğan spoke at Istanbul University: 'There were times when those who did not have money could not receive health care'

President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a statement at the "Istanbul University Hospital Çapa Campus Mass Groundbreaking and Mass Opening Ceremony".

In his speech, Erdoğan announced that 38 thousand non-physician personnel will be recruited in health before the end of 2026.

In his statements, Erdoğan claimed that they had virtually rebuilt Türkiye's health infrastructure and said, "We had bad days when patients were taken hostage in hospitals. We had periods when people who had no money could not receive health care, when prescribed medicines could not be accessed, and when civil servants and workers went to separate hospitals. With the steps we took, we reversed the situation in health in 24 years."

Highlights from Erdoğan's statements are as follows:

"We are representatives of a deep-rooted history in healthcare. Medicine has never been seen as an ordinary profession in our history. We have shown ourselves in this field since the 13th century. Istanbul Faculty of Medicine is also the trust of our ancestors. It is one of the institutions entrusted to us by the Ottoman Empire. I believe that our Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, with its 2 centuries-old history full of success, will provide healing to our nation for many more centuries. Continuity is essential in our state tradition. Institutions are the institutions of the nation as well as the state.

Çapa Internal Medicine Hospital was built on an area of 44 thousand square meters. There are 186 beds in our hospital, 39 of which are intensive care units. In addition, 56 polyclinics have a daily treatment capacity for 31 people. The hospital is equipped with earthquake isolators. The 26-bed coronary intensive care unit becomes operational.

Our Esenyurt Hospital has 200 patient beds and a total of 50 intensive care beds, including neonatal intensive care units. I wish good luck to both of our hospitals, which will strengthen the power of our faculty and provide healing to patients. "Today, we are laying the foundations of two of our works."

"We did not come to this point easily in health. We went through bad days when patients were taken hostage in hospitals. We had periods when people who did not have money could not receive health care, prescribed medications were not accessible, and civil servants and workers went to separate hospitals. We came from periods when those who did not pay for a knife could not undergo surgery. With the steps we took, we reversed the situation in health in 24 years.

Previously, our people went abroad for health care. Now they come to Türkiye from all over the world for health care."

"We literally rebuilt the health infrastructure. We opened 206 health facilities in Istanbul with an investment cost of 223 billion liras. We have reached a total bed capacity of 45 thousand 390 in Istanbul. We support our citizens with more than 8 thousand intensive care beds, more than 1600 dental units and special treatment centers in different areas. When our ongoing health investments are completed, the total amount of our investments in Istanbul will reach 350 billion liras. will find it.

"I share the good news that we will announce the appointment of 38 thousand non-physician personnel before the end of 2026."