In line with the national health care modernization strategy, Public Hospitals General Manager Hakan Usta reaffirmed that Türkiye’s public hospitals remain structurally resilient and operationally equipped, while continuous improvement practices are being implemented to maintain readiness against complex emergency scenarios. His remarks came on Wednesday during disaster-readiness sessions convened in Antalya.
The Ministry of Health’s General Directorate of Public Hospitals, supported by World Bank financing, is currently conducting advanced disaster-response and operational continuity training under the program titled “Sustaining Hospital Efficiency During Emergencies and Disasters.” The program, which continued on Wednesday at a facility in Antalya’s Belek Tourism Center, brings together administrative and clinical decision-makers to align on standardized resilience protocols.
Speaking during the training agenda, Usta emphasized that Türkiye’s health care system, tested acutely during the COVID-19 pandemic, has transitioned from reactive management to long-term strategic preparedness. He underlined that earthquakes, floods, wildfires and other destabilizing events compel policymakers to sustain system-wide standards rather than treat resilience as episodic.
Usta reiterated that Türkiye remains among the countries helping set international performance baselines on clinical quality and health care efficiency: “Our infrastructure is solid, our training ecosystem is strong, but resilience requires perpetual refinement. We operate on the premise that improvement is continuous.”
He noted that national investments launched since 2005 have materially strengthened clinical and structural capabilities, enabling public hospitals to enter the next decade with expanded response capacity. Modernization efforts include both retrofitting existing facilities and advancing new construction programs aligned with demographic shifts and population mobility.
Usta stressed the importance of scaling up family medicine to alleviate hospital loads, reinforcing Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu’s directive prioritizing preventive and primary-level care. When leveraged effectively, he noted, this model mitigates systemic pressure and eliminates avoidable congestion across emergency and specialty units.
Usta confirmed that disaster-mitigation protocols, including seismic reinforcement, evacuation infrastructure and emergency power continuity, remain fully active and subject to regular upgrade cycles. “Citizens can be confident. Public hospitals are well-positioned today and are being prepared for tomorrow,” he said.
He also pointed to the sustained availability of qualified health care personnel as a strategic differentiator, stressing that Türkiye’s clinical workforce remains one of the system’s strongest pillars.
