The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the European Union, represented by its Delegation to Turkey, signed a delegation agreement to finance the construction of a state hospital in Turkey, which aims to serve both the Syrian refugees and the host community.
The grant allocated by the EU comes from its Facility for Refugees in Turkey, which was established in line with the European Union-Turkey Joint Action Plan adopted in October 2015 to support Turkey in its efforts to cope with an unprecedented influx of refugees due to the Syrian conflict.
The new state hospital will be located in the town of Kilis, ten kilometres away from the Turkish-Syrian border. Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, the population of Kilis has more than doubled to reach today 260 000 people, of whom nearly 50% are Syrians under temporary protection.
Improving access to health services in Kilis is a key priority. The construction of a second state hospital in Kilis will increase the healthcare capacity by at least 300 beds. The construction of this hospital will be implemented by the Turkish Ministry of Health. The CEB will oversee the project execution and provide its support to the Ministry of Health.
The EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey, managing a total of € 3 billion for 2016 and 2017, provides for a joint coordination mechanism, designed to ensure that the needs of refugees and host communities in Turkey are addressed in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. The Facility focuses on humanitarian assistance, education, migration management, health, municipal infrastructure, and socio-economic support.
Original source: CEB
Published on 13 November 2017
