Capacity Increase Support from TİKA to the Turkish Hospital in Niger

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) supported the establishment of “TİKA Ophthalmology Clinic” within Teassaoua Turkish Hospital in the city of Tessaoua as a part of the improvement works for the health infrastructure of Niger.

Being one of the least developed countries according to United Nations data, Niger, where a significant amount of its population lives below the poverty line, has quite inadequate health and hospital services.

In the country where health insurance practices are not common and the mortality rate from simple cases is quite high, people have difficulty accessing even routine examinations as well as surgical operations due to the lack of infrastructure, hospitals, and expert personnel.

Tessaoua Turkish Hospital established in Tessaoua city by BISEG/Volunteers Association with support from TİKA heals thousands of poor Nigeriens every year with contributions from volunteer Turkish doctors and healthcare workers.

Responding to the needs of patients from not only Tessaoua but also nearby cities, the hospital has the capacity to perform many special practices, particularly cataract operations.

“TİKA Ophthalmology Clinic” was established within the hospital

This year, TİKA established the “TİKA Ophthalmology Clinic” in Tessaoua Turkish Hospital and provided capacity increase support. As a part of the project, 3 surgical operation tables, an anesthesia machine, a mobile vacuum device, sterilization unit, lockers, a cold storage cabinet, a sterilization device with digital indicator, an ophthalmic ultrasound machine, an ophthalmoscope, patient monitors, bio-microscopes, and other supplementary medical equipment were provided to the hospital.

The delivery ceremony of the project was held with participation from the President of BISEG-Volunteers Association, İbrahim Ceylan, and TİKA’s Representative in Niamey, Amadou Amadou.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ceylan noted that Tessaoua Turkish Hospital has gained a lot, especially through TİKA’s support, and has reached the capacity to perform about 600 eye surgeries in a day thanks to this support.

The project aims to strengthen the health infrastructure of the country and to enable poor people, particularly those with various eye diseases, to access quality healthcare services and emergency cases to have the necessary treatment/operation.