Investing in human lives: SHIFA celebrates inauguration of renovated emergency unit at Ankara Training and Research Hospital

ANKARA - A newly-renovated emergency unit at Ankara Training and Research Hospital was inaugurated today under the Strengthening Healthcare Infrastructure for All (SHIFA) Project, a €140 million European Union-funded initiative to improve healthcare access for refugees, persons under subsidiary protection, and host communities across Türkiye.

The SHIFA project - which is implemented by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Türkiye with support from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) - aims to construct or renovate more than 80 health centres and up to 110 hospital-based physical therapy units across 27 Turkish provinces. The new emergency unit is expected to serve more than 32 000 outpatients every month, further strengthening emergency care capacity in Ankara.

The inauguration- the first to take place under the project - was hosted by Dr. Rahmi Kiliç, the Hospital Director, and brought together key representatives from the Ministry of Health, EU Delegation to Türkiye and the CEB. Among the speakers were Jurgis Vilčinskas, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation; Jasmina Glisovic, Head of Grant Operations and New Instruments at the CEB; Dr. Ibrahim Söyler, Deputy General Manager; Dr. Ali Niyazi Kurtcebe, Director at Ankara Provincial Health Directorate, and Prof. Dr. Erdal Demirtaş, Doctor at the Emergency Unit.

Welcoming the stakeholders to the facility, Dr. Rahmi Kiliç stated: "This is an investment in human lives." Dr. Kiliç also noted that in addition to the renovation of the four-story emergency unit building, an extensive new annex had been constructed, which included storage capacity and rest areas for medical staff. With the €3.1 million renovation, important improvements had been made to increase service quality and patient comfort.

Deputy Head of Delegation Vilčinskas stated: "The European Union is very proud to have had the opportunity to contribute to the opening of these new facilities, which we hope will serve host communities and refugees." He thanked the medical staff of the hospital for their continued efforts to save lives, and additionally expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Health and CEB for their key roles in the SHIFA project.

On behalf of the CEB, Ms. Glisovic underlined that "these state-of-the-art facilities are a first tangible result of the SHIFA project, the objective of which is to provide healthcare for all - migrants and refugees as well as host communities. I would like to extend my gratitude to the European Union for its excellent cooperation on this project, the Ministry of Health as our SHIFA partner, the hospital management, medical staff, and the Provincial Health Directorate."

Deputy General Manager Söyler stated: "Over 113 million Turkish Lira was spent on renovations and repairs at the Ankara Training and Research Hospital, part of a €140 million grant to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure for all. The SHIFA project will continue to provide healing in this area."

The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) is a multilateral development bank with an exclusively social mandate from its 43 member countries. The CEB finances investment and provides technical assistance in social sectors such as education, health and affordable housing, while focusing on the needs of vulnerable people, as well as on the social dimensions of climate change and the environment. Borrowers include governments, local and regional authorities, public and private banks, non-profit organisations and others. The CEB, which has a triple-A credit rating, funds itself through international capital markets. In addition, the CEB receives funds from donors to complement its activities.