Turkey will further attain a capacity of approximately 45,000 new inpatient beds within a period of 3 years thanks to the City Hospitals model based on public private partnership in healthcare investments. Total inpatient bed availability will thus reach 150,000 as of 2018, with the investments to be made by the Ministry of Health. The City Hospitals project constitutes the most prominent one among others to carry Turkey onward to the most advanced stages in the field of healthcare on both regional and global scales. A total of 36 city hospitals with a total inpatient bed capacity of 44,904 are being planned to be constructed within the scope of the City Hospitals project, which is to be implemented based on a Public-Private Partnership model. Tender processes have been completed for 16 of these hospitals, which have a total inpatient bed capacity of 26,832. Along with five projects currently out for tender, 15 hospital projects with 14,143 inpatient bed capacity are being prepared. Total inpatient bed capacity of the Ministry of Health is aimed to reach approximately 150,000 as of 2018, upon the completion of the City Hospitals project and of the hospital investments realized by the Ministry of Health through public finances. PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN HAS DREAMED OF CITY HOSPITALS FOR 11 YEARS The first step was taken in city hospitals with the clause “receiving construction services for healthcare facilities against rental” added to the Fundamental Law on Healthcare Services in 2005. The Ministry of Health was enabled to have the medical facilities required constructed by natural persons or legal entities subject to private law, thanks to the new practice. A regulation was prepared in 2006, and a Public-Private Partnership unit was formed within the Ministry of Health in 2007. First tender was lodged for Kayseri City Hospital in April 2011, and the first foundation was laid in Yozgat, on August 20, 2013. Giving a speech in the ceremony attended by the President of the GNAT Cemil Çiçek, the Minister of Health Mehmet Müezzinoğlu and then Vice Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ, Mr. Müezzinoğlu said “Here, in Yozgat, we are commencing a new series of investments that will revolutionize healthcare services, I hope our citizens will benefit from it.” A project promotion and signature ceremony was organized for 15 hospitals including Isparta City Hospital during the ceremony attended by then Prime Minister President, current President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at Haliç Congress Center on September 12, 2013. Having said “I, your brother, dreamed of city hospitals 11 years ago,” Erdoğan continued: “Today, we simultaneously metrekacommence the construction of 14 city hospitals, that is, healthcare institutions with an inpatient bed capacity of 24,407. The hospitals to be established in these 14 provinces will not only serve for their home city but also for the cities in the vicinity. We are currently building city hospitals in 14 provinces. However, 24 provinces will benefit from these hospitals. In short, we are realizing a new and historic transformation in healthcare. Just like urban transformations. We will always achieve the firsts, for we have always boasted the firsts.” Remarking on the subject after the signatory ceremony, Chairman of Akfen Holding’s Executive Board Hamdi Akın stated that Isparta City Hospital was the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project undertaken by Akfen Construction and they were planning to make an investment worth approximately TRY 573 million. Mr. Hamdi Akın expressed his views regarding the matter as follows: “Isparta City Hospital will have a total inpatient bed capacity of 755 and the project will yield rent for a period of 25 years after its completion. The project will be constructed on an area of 180,000 square meters and total closed construction area will amount to 197,649 square meters. A total of 67,860 square meters will consist of a closed car park whereas the remaining 129,789 square meters will be used for diagnosis, outpatient treatment and inpatient treatment floors. Hamdi Akın said “We are planning to increase our capacity in this area to 2,000- 2,500 inpatient beds with the new hospital investments being planned for the period ahead,” emphasizing that they are interested in the city hospital investments to be built based on public-private partnership model in various Turkish provinces. Moreover, Akfen Holding has become the highest bidder in the tender for Eskişehir City Hospital. Groundbreaking ceremonies followed one another after the ceremony on September 12. The groundbreaking ceremony organized at Bilkent on September 18, 2013 was followed by the ceremonies held in Adana on October 5, in Ankara/Etlik on October 22, and in Manisa on December 1. The last groundbreaking ceremony in 2013 took place in Elazığ on December 20. 2014 further witnessed to the laying foundations of İkitelli City Hospital on February 2, Mersin City Hospital on March 11, İzmir Bayraklı City Hospital on March 12, Isparta City Hospital on March 13, and Balıkesir City Hospital on April 3. MINISTER MÜEZZİNOĞLU ANNOUNCED 20 NEW CITY HOSPITALS The Minister of Health Mehmet Müezzinoğlu announced that preparations were on the way for 20 new city hospitals in Turkey, which stepped into a new age in healthcare with huge investments and reforms implemented. Having stated that Turkey will be the pioneer in the world with cutting-edge technology physical spaces and medical equipment at the end of 2018, Mr. Müezzinoğlu continued his announcement regarding the new city hospitals: “We are making preparations for further 20 city hospitals. A total of 16 city hospitals are currently under construction in 14 cities. We have also initiated the tender processes for city hospitals in Denizli, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ and Kütahya. Higher Planning Council approved these projects. We will complete tender processes for these hospitals as well, in the following 3-4 months. Tenders will have been completed as of January-February 2015. We will supervise the processes in which their foundations are laid and whereby they will be delivered to the undertakers. A total of 16 city hospitals that are currently under construction have a total capacity of 24,000 inpatient beds. If we obtain Higher Planning Council’s approval and complete the tender processes for all 25 of them within a year, they will have a total bed capacity of 24,000-25,000 as well. Moreover, we will have put a total capacity of 50,000 inpatient beds into operation within 4 years, as of the end of 2018 at the latest. Campuses of the city hospitals will also host specialty hospitals such as those for gynecology and pediatric diseases, cardiovascular diseases, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, oncology, mental health, and high-security forensic psychiatry hospitals along with hospitals for general purposes. ADVANTAGES OF CITY HOSPITALS Hospitals specialized in different fields will be gathered together in a single campus, staff physicians will work in all specialty hospitals located on the campus and the shortage of qualified physicians will thus be overcome. When the medical devices used in imaging and laboratory services will be commonly used at a single center, the necessity to purchase these devices separately for each hospital located on the campus will disappear. Healthcare campuses will be managed within the framework of Public Hospital Associations model, which will enable the central management of hospitals located at different regions by hospital associations ISPARTA CITY HOSPITAL WILL BE READY IN TWO YEARS The project for Isparta City Hospital was introduced in a meeting which took place on October 10, 2014 and attended by Mr. İrfan Erciyas, the Executive Director of Akfen Holding, and Mr. Coşkun Mesut Ruhi, the General Director of Akfen Construction. Mr. İrfan Erciyas, the Executive Director of Akfen Holding, told that Isparta City Hospital would be quite a modern city hospital with its inpatient bed capacity, technological facilities and other infrastructural properties. Emphasizing that as Akfen Construction they are responsible for the ready-for-service delivery of the project including its design, financing, construction, and procurement of equipment, Mr. Erciyas said "The Ministry of Health will not make any expense throughout the process of construction." Mr. Irfan Erciyas stated that the City Hospital would be the biggest healthcare center of not only Isparta but also of the entire region and continued. "The investment to be realized based on Public-Private Partnership business model will worth TRY 573 million. We are planning to open the City Hospital in two years following the commencement of construction." General Director of Akfen Construction, Mr. Coşkun Mesut Ruhi, who provided information about the technical properties of the project, reported that the City Hospital would be constructed on an area of 198,000 square meters. Mr. Ruhi told: "The project will have a total inpatient bed capacity of 755, 450 beds will be allocated to the general hospital section and 305 beds to the section of gynecology and pediatric diseases hospital. The project will further include 18 surgery rooms and 204 polyclinics, and its 67,000 square meters closed car park area will have a capacity of 2,262 vehicles. The hospital, which is planned to be constructed in two years, will be operated for a period of 25 years.