President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan inaugurated the Medistate Çekmeköy Hospital on Friday, framing the event as a testament to Türkiye’s advanced and inclusive healthcare model, which he described as "one of the most beautiful examples of our human-centered politics."

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Erdoğan detailed the new facility's capabilities, including a 150-bed capacity with specialized neonatal and general intensive care units, 43 outpatient clinics, 7 operating rooms, and a comprehensive emergency department. A key feature is an oncology center offering nuclear medicine and therapies. A planned Neurological Sciences Center is set to expand total bed capacity to 200.

The President extended wishes for a speedy recovery to future patients and offered prayers for the medical and administrative staff.

In his speech, Erdoğan strongly emphasized the government's policy of supporting all investment that benefits the nation, drawing no distinction between public and private sectors.

"There is no distinction between public and private when it comes to serving the country," Erdoğan stated. "Every effort that contributes to Turkey’s development, growth, and its progress toward the goals of the Century of Turkey is worthy of appreciation."

He criticized what he described as outdated ideological opposition to private enterprise, targeting "circles, trapped in the jargon of the 1960s and 1970s," who he said wrongly oppose private initiative "under the guise of so-called publicism."

President Erdoğan positioned the new hospital as part of a broader, proven healthcare transformation. He argued that Turkey's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the February 6 earthquakes demonstrated the resilience and synergy of its integrated health system.

"Turkey was one of the countries that managed the coronavirus pandemic—the greatest health crisis of the past century—in the best way," he claimed, contrasting Turkey's performance with "tragic scenes" in parts of Europe.

He highlighted the critical role played by private hospitals during both crises, operating in coordination with the Ministry of Health, with the state covering service costs to ensure citizens received free care.

"We are now playing in a different league in healthcare," Erdoğan declared, "and we take pride in this on behalf of our country."

The President concluded by thanking all contributors to the Medistate Çekmeköy Hospital project, reiterating that all investments easing citizens' access to quality health services are "extremely valuable." (ILKHA)