Khaldon Azhari

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke at an opening ceremony of a hospital in Istanbul via teleconference on May 21, on invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

President Erdogan, who attended the ceremony in person, invited the prime minister’s participation as the new Basaksehir City Hospital was jointly constructed by the Japanese firm Sojitz and the Turkish Ronesans Group in a public-private partnership.

Abe expressed respect for the measures taken by the Turkish government and people in facing the COVID-19 pandemic and said he was pleased that the hospital would further contribute to countermeasures against the virus, in addition to the medical and health fields of Turkey.

While originally scheduled for June, the opening was moved forward in response to the pandemic. The general hospital, which has 2,682 beds, is located on the outskirts of the capital Istanbul. It consists of a general ward, cardiovascular, cancer, gynecology, pediatrics, orthopedics and physics departments.

For his part, Erdogan expressed gratitude toward the people of Turkey and Japan who helped construct the hospital, as well as hope for the further development of friendly relations between the two nations.

Initially, the hospital was scheduled to open in June 2020, but as a measure against COVID-19, President Erdogan instructed early opening of the hospital and announced that it would be opened on April 20, 2020.

While the hospital was partially opened on that day, the completion of the building was aimed at around the middle of May, and the hospital was opened on May 21.