WHO Europe honored President Erdogan for Türkiye’s humanitarian support to Palestinians and its key role in coordinating medical evacuations from Gaza.
WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge presented the prize at the 11th Turkish Medical World Congress in Ankara.
In his reflections at the occasion, Erdogan blasted the transnational community's silence on the damage of hospitals and the deaths of cases, health workers, and babies in Gaza during the last two times.
“It will certainly not be easy for the world to move from a reality where, for two full years, it remained a spectator as hospitals in Gaza were bombed and patients, health workers, children, and even innocent babies in incubators were killed,”
he said.
Erdogan went on to say that the world will become "a paradise" when humanity shares the common joy of saving a life and celebrates the safe arrival of each infant as its own happiness.
“This is exactly what we are working for,”
he said.
He went on to say that the health workforce has increased by 288% since 2002, with approximately 100,000 new employees, including more than 57,000 physicians, hired in the previous year and a half alone.
He also stated that 80% of public hospitals had been repaired or rebuilt, with 794 new hospitals increasing public bed capacity to 173,000. Qualified beds have climbed from 7,000 in 2002 to 122,000 presently, while total capacity has grown from 164,000 to 271,000.
Erdogan also stressed the need for continuous rehabilitation in earthquake-hit provinces, where 109 health institutions with over 5,100 beds have been constructed, bringing the overall capacity from 23,733 to 27,503 beds across 11 provinces.
How did Türkiye coordinate medical evacuations with other countries?
The Turkish Red Crescent and government authorities worked together to organize and grease the evacuation process, icing safe conveyance and medical care upon appearance. Türkiye dispatched essential medical inventories, ambulances, and field hospitals equipped with operating apartments and ferocious care units to support ongoing healthcare demands.
Collaboration involved securing necessary warrants and uniting nearly with indigenous mates, including Egypt, to enable the conveyance and treatment of cases. Türkiye engaged with the World Health Organization( WHO) and other philanthropic actors to strengthen the medical evacuation frame and capacity.
The government demonstrated a commitment to furnishing comprehensive care by planting mobile hospitals and technical healthcare brigades to manage the health requirements of vacated cases.