First leg of pandemic hospital opens in Turkey

By Hatice Senses Kurukiz

ISTANBUL (AA) - The first leg of Basaksehir Ikitelli Sehir Hospital, built on orders of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, opened on Monday in the Turkish metropolitan city of Istanbul to strengthen the nation’s fight against the new coronavirus pandemic.

City hospitals have a vital role in fighting the virus all around the world, with their high tech equipment, physical infrastructure, and bed capacity. They also offer comprehensive treatment for all diseases.

Turkey, ineffective coordination with its Health Ministry, planned to open many hospitals in a short time amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Basaksehir Ikitelli Sehir Hospital opened in Istanbul as part of these plans.

President Erdogan, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank attended the opening ceremony held by videoconference.

The hospital is planned to become one of the most important hospitals in Istanbul, and Turkey.

- Beds can also be used as intensive care units

Basaksehir Ikitelli Sehir Hospital is located on 789,000 square meters, with 1,021,000 square meters of indoor space.

There are 725 examination rooms, 2,682 beds in the hospital, and an 8,134-car capacity park area.

All beds can be transformed into intensive care units if necessary. There are also 28 delivery rooms, 90 surgeries, 16 burn units, and 456 intensive care units.

- Energy-saving, environment-friendly hospital

The hospital's 50% of energy is met by trigeneration systems. Rainwaters are stored and used in landscape watering of the grounds.

With hybrid vehicle charging units and bike lanes, the hospital will be one of the most high-tech and green hospitals on the European side of Istanbul, one of the most strategic metropolises in the world and the meeting point of Asia and Europe.

The hospital campus has 3,466 CCTV cameras with 7/24 security.

- Complex comprised of 8 different branch hospitals

The hospital complex includes emergency services for children and adults, with an emergency delivery service, built on a 30,000-square-meter area.

It is comprised of 8 different medical branch hospitals, including general surgery, pediatrics, orthopedics, neurology, gynecology, cardiovascular, physiotherapy, and psychiatry.

When all branches start to offer service to the public, it will become a hospital with the largest intensive care unit capacity in Europe.

- Surgeries to continue even during earthquakes

The hospital has 2,068 seismic isolators, which makes it the "hospital with the highest number of seismic isolators in the world".

These insulators limit the earthquake harm, protecting the supporting mechanisms of the buildings, located in a city on an earthquake zone.

Thanks to this technology, all operations will carry on in the hospital even in case of an earthquake.

- Hospital to serve as pandemic center during fight against COVID-19

After opening all branches on May 20, the hospital will have a significant role in fighting the pandemic.

Gynecology and pediatrics services, opened today, will be used as pandemics center during the fight against COVID-19.

There will be no direct patient practice since it aims to host pandemic patients only. Current inpatients will be transferred by ambulances to be treated here.

- Hospital with 5 laboratories

There are 5 laboratories set up on a 5,608-square-meter complex.

In today's opening ceremony, an emergency lab started its service. The lab also has the required capacity to prepare immune plasmas for treatment.

There are 127 medical chairs for bloodletting.

- Local technologies used in hospital

Turkish communication giant Turkcell has equipped the hospital with the latest communications technologies. Hospital Information System, used by other major city hospitals around the country, allows all medical systems to communicate with one another.

Doctors and all health staff can reach tests, screenings, hospital reports and information online.

This system also accelerates the diagnosis and treatment processes. Patients can track their appointments via barcodes on their mobile phones.

The hospital offers effective solutions, reduces the waiting time for patients, and reduces the workload of health personnel.

* Writing by Firdevs Bulut in Ankara.