TİKA Supports Colombia’s Fight against the COVID19 Outbreak

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) provided 250 bed sets to the temporary hospital built to treat emergency patients and patients with mild to moderate conditions in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia and the city most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

In Colombia, almost half of approximately 4,000 COVID-19 patients are in Bogotá, the capital of the country. As the outbreak accelerates, a temporary hospital was built in the CORFERIAS exhibition area, which is the largest fair space in the country, to prevent the overcrowding of intensive care units.

Patients with conditions other than COVID-19 will be treated in the temporary hospital. There are 650 beds in the hospital, which was inaugurated today in CORFERIAS. The hospital, the capacity of which is expected to be increased to 5,000 beds in the medium to long term, is one of the largest and most-equipped temporary hospitals in South America.

At the inauguration ceremony of the temporary hospital, Mayor of Bogotá Claudia López stated that they aim to combat the outbreak effectively by reducing the burden on intensive care units and hospitals in the city. She expressed her gratitude to Turkey for its support, which is an important example of international solidarity, as well as to the Presidency of Colombia, the Governorship of Cundinamarca, CORFERIAS, and the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá, which supported the construction of this large hospital within 20 days.

Turkey’s Ambassador to Bogotá Ece Öztürk said it is very important that they provided such a support to Colombia, a friendly country, during these difficult times, and added that the hospital would play an effective role in the fight against the outbreak.

Examining the Temporary Hospital, which had recently been inaugurated, Turkey’s Ambassador to Bogotá Ece Öztürk received information from the Mayor of Bogotá, the Governor of Cundinamarca Department, and the officials of the Provincial Health Directorate about the operation and organization of the hospital.

The bed sets donated to the temporary hospital will be transferred to public hospitals when the outbreak ends.