Groups of children receiving cancer treatment at an oncology hospital in Türkiye's central Kayseri province head for services in the building with kids ride-on cars instead of stretchers.
The five-story hospital, which was built under the leadership of philanthropists and the Association Against Cancer (KANKA) in Kayseri operates on the Erciyes University campus and serves with a bed capacity of 60 on 10,000 square meters (107,639 square feet) surface.
Dr. Musa Karakürkçü, the head of KANKA association and the head of the Pediatric Oncology Department at Erciyes hospital, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the hospital was built for treating children with cancer and bone marrow transplant needs.
The hospital, whose corridors and rooms are decorated with figures of cartoon characters, has its theater hall, library, playgrounds and ride-on cars donated by philanthropists who intend to enlighten the hospital experience and provide a source of fun for children who have various fears during treatment processes at the hospital.
Explaining that since its inauguration in July 2021, 57 children have undergone bone marrow transplantation, Karakürkçü emphasized that many children have been provided with chemotherapy treatment at their hospital. Karakürkçü also stated that they are one of the hospitals with the highest number of transplants in the public sector domain in Türkiye.
The doctor who emphasized that the various activities are organized for children to have fun said the children also received gifts, such as clothes and shoes which they continue to distribute. However, this year to the surprise of their benefactors were the battery cars, he noted.
''We have six ride-on cars. Sometimes we send the children for tomography and MRI scans while they are in the hospital. They go to other departments in these cars. We used to send them there on stretchers, now we send them with ride-on cars. So they are much happier. They go in a much more relaxed manner. Children who used to go for treatment unwillingly and crying, now get on the ride-on car and look very amused,'' Karakürkçü said.
Emphasizing that they want the hospital to be like a playground for children receiving cancer treatment, Karakürkçü said, "Children are under the supervision of psychologists all the time. They have a lot of trouble while receiving cancer treatment. We are trying to minimize this problem."
Mentioning that they need more volunteers for children with cancer, Karakürkçü said that they work with groups such as housewives, teachers, and students to please children and that anyone can support this group, which they call "KANKA."
Zeynep Yıldız, who came to the hospital for the treatment of her two-year-old child, stated that everyone in the hospital, from the nurses to the management teams helped them.
"Because he is small, my child wants toys, naturally a home environment, and activity areas. It is very advantageous for us to spend time here playing with toys during the treatment period. They allocated as many toys and ride-on cars as they could,'' she noted.