Thousands benefit from Turkish hospital in Syrian town

By Ozkan Beyer

GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AA) - The northern Syrian town of Jarabulus, which used to be under control of the Daesh terror group, now has health facilities -- thanks to the Turkish government.

Turkish Health Ministry set up a 70-bed hospital with three operation theaters in the town in September 2016 following Operation Euphrates Shield, which caters to the medical needs of thousands of people.

“Our aim is to provide health services which had been halted for a long time. The hospital serves between 1,500 and 1,800 people each day.

“This is the first hospital our health ministry built in Syria; later two other hospitals were set up in Azaz and Al Bab regions,” the hospital’s chief physician, Yasin Sahin, told Anadolu Agency.

Sahin added all hospital employees were Syrians except the management staff.

“We have a lot of opportunities in [health] services, which is non-existent in Syria. Syrian health system is more or less 20-30 years behind Turkey,” he said.

“Those coming to this hospital are not just from Jarabulus; patients from the cities of Azaz and Al Bab are also being treated here due to lack of facilities in their regions.”

Nur Isa, a resident of Jarabulus, said: “We will not forget Turkey’s help.”

Operation Euphrates Shield, which began in late August last year and ended in March this year, was aimed at eliminating the terrorist threat along the Turkish border with the use of the FSA, backed by Turkish artillery and air cover.

Since the civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, Jarabulus had been controlled by Daesh and intermittently by the PKK/PYD terrorist group.