Türkiye is setting up five fully equipped medical stations and deploying ambulances across the venue of the U.N. climate summit COP31 in Antalya to ensure uninterrupted health care for participants.
The 1.1 million-square-meter site will host the conference from Nov. 9 to 20, with three medical stations in the Blue Zone, where the Leaders’ Summit will take place, and two in the Green Zone, which will accommodate nongovernmental organizations and side events.
A total of 40 health care professionals, including emergency medicine and orthopedic specialists and general practitioners, will staff the stations under the coordination of Antalya City Hospital, Antalya Training and Research Hospital and Kepez State Hospital. Ultrasound, X-ray and electrocardiogram (ECG) services will be available around the clock.
A fully equipped ambulance will be stationed outside each medical station to provide emergency intervention and transport patients.
To reach patients quickly in areas closed to traffic, authorities have converted five golf carts into mobile ambulances by removing two seats from each vehicle to accommodate stretchers and installing emergency lights. The electric vehicles will help medical teams navigate narrow streets and crowded areas before transporting patients to the nearest medical station.
Antalya Provincial Health Director professor Dr. Behzat Özkan said that preparations were underway to ensure effective medical services throughout the large-scale international event.
"While maintaining Antalya’s general health care services, we will also provide effective and uninterrupted medical care during the event,” Özkan said.
Three command centers have been established to coordinate health care operations across the venue, including two at the event site and one at Aksu State Hospital, he said.
Ten ambulances will be stationed near the COP31 venue, with two additional vehicles on standby in the parking area. Another 100 ambulances sourced from surrounding provinces will provide health care services outside the event site.
Medical teams will coordinate with the command centers to assess patients and arrange transfers according to the severity of their conditions, Özkan said.
Aksu State Hospital will provide emergency care as a secondary-level health care facility, while the 1,500-bed Antalya City Hospital will handle advanced medical needs. Antalya Training and Research Hospital and Kepez State Hospital will also support health care operations during the summit.