Türkiye received over 290 patients from Gaza for treatment in 2023

By Aylin Dal

Türkiye has received 292 wounded and sick from Gaza for treatment since Israel's devastating attacks on the Palestinian enclave began earlier this year, according to a post on X by the country's health minister on Sunday.

Fahrettin Koca shared a video on X about the country's achievements over the past year in the realm of health, showing that Türkiye also sent Gaza 15 planes and a ship-load of humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, a fully-equipped field hospital, 20 ambulances, generators, and essential living supplies.

"In healthcare services in 2023... From tomorrow, we will strive to achieve much more, much better," Koca said in the post, with the video noting that the country's healthcare system had provided over 804 million medical examinations to patients this year.

Surgeons have performed over 11.8 million operations, including more than 5,000 organ transplants, while 1,679 patients were transported by plane ambulances and 2,695 by helicopter ambulances, the video indicated.

It also noted the opening of several new hospital facilities, as well as the recruitment of nearly 80,000 medical personnel.

- Services in earthquake-affected regions

The video also highlighted health services provided in response to massive earthquakes in southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, which claimed over 50,000 lives in the country, while injuring more than 107,000 others.

It showed that 138,190 healthcare workers served in the earthquake-affected region, treating 590,468 patients and injured in field hospitals and emergency intervention units.