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The Turkish hospital in Saida could see 'its services expanded'

Opened in 2010, the public institution has never truly opened its doors due to a lack of funding.

The Turkish hospital in Saida could see 'its services expanded'

Photo taken on January 30th during the official visit of outgoing Health Minister Firas Abiad and Turkish Ambassador Murat Lütem to the Turkish hospital in Saida. X account of the TIKA agency.

BEIRUT — The Turkish hospital in Saida, which first opened with much fanfare in 2010, remains a "soon-to-open" project, with its full and final launch still elusive after 14 years. During a visit to the hospital on Thursday, caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad hinted that the hospital’s services would soon be expanded, but the timeline for its completion remains unclear.

The visit, attended by the new Turkish ambassador to Lebanon, Murat Lütem, also saw Abiad reaffirm the hospital's "vital role" during recent Israeli aggression. The Turkish ambassador, in turn, announced a donation of a new ambulance to the facility.

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In October, the Turkish hospital, which specializes in severe burns and emergency cases, was partially opened to handle the surge of patients after Israeli airstrikes rendered eight hospitals in Lebanon inoperative. Although it has never fully opened, the facility has been providing critical care over the past three months. According to Mona Triaki, head of the hospital's administrative committee, the hospital has received "217 emergency cases, treated 67 injured patients, and performed 117 operations, including 19 emergency surgeries."

For nearly 15 years, successive political leaders have hailed this governmental hospital as a destined benchmark, vital facility for treating severe burns, filling a significant gap in southern Lebanon’s healthcare system. Built on a 14,000-square-meter plot of land owned by the municipality of Saida, the hospital was funded by a $20 million grant from Ankara through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA). 

'No political divergences'

The initiative to establish this specialized hospital was launched after the July 2006 war, with the foundation stone laid in 2009. The building was officially inaugurated on Nov. 25, 2010, by then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was joined by his Lebanese counterpart, Saad Hariri, during an official visit to Lebanon.

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Equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment, the hospital has never fully opened its doors, operating only on rare occasions for short periods, such as during the Covid-19 padamic in 2020 and after the Beirut port explosion on Aug. 4, 2020.

Year after year, calls for its opening have come and gone without being materialized.

In 2015, the former Saida mayor, Mohammad Saoudi, told local press that the hospital's 50 rooms would make it non-profitable if opened and could lead to losses. He also suggested the need for an additional building to make it viable.

However, according to Amal MP Michel Moussa (South Lebanon II), a member of the hospital's Supervisory Commission who attended the official visit, the issue lies not in the hospital's size but in the "lack of funding" to ensure its operation.

"The necessary funds to train specialized doctors and caregivers were never allocated by the state. If it opens, it is a matter of ensuring its continuity, which has never been guaranteed," Moussa told L'Orient-Le Jour. He dismissed any speculation about "political divergences" obstructing its opening.

This article was originally published in French in L'Orient Le-Jour.

BEIRUT — The Turkish hospital in Saida, which first opened with much fanfare in 2010, remains a "soon-to-open" project, with its full and final launch still elusive after 14 years. During a visit to the hospital on Thursday, caretaker Health Minister Firas Abiad hinted that the hospital’s services would soon be expanded, but the timeline for its completion remains unclear.The visit, attended...