Two Turkish planes, carrying some patients with cancer and their companions, who were removed from Gaza, departed from Al Arish Airport in Egypt and landed at Esenboğa Airport in Ankara. Today Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca returned to Ankara from Egypt with some patients, following the busy schedule of meetings he held in Egypt for healthcare aids to Gaza and the transfer of patients and wounded people to Türkiye. It was seen that Minister Koca paid close attention to some patients who got into the ambulance. In his statement to journalists at Esenboğa Airport, Koca said that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, they were trying to stand by the Gazans and relieve their pain, in full coordination with all the units of the government, regarding the human tragedy that started in Gaza on October 7, and that they would continue with these efforts with determination. Koca stated that they had many meetings with the senior managers of the World Health Organization and the health ministers of Egypt, Israel and Jordan since the first day, and added that they immediately sent a team of 20 people from the Ministry of Health to conduct feasibility studies for Egypt and Gaza on October 22. Minister Koca noted that Türkiye also delivered 666 tons of aid, including 10 cargo planes, a ship, 8 fully equipped field hospitals, 20 ambulances, vital ventilators, incubators and generators, as well as medicine, medical supplies and devices, to Egypt to be used for the needs of Gazans. Fahrettin Koca, who told that he had a phone meeting with both the Minister of Health of Israel and Minister of Health of Egypt last week, continued as follows: "We created a Health Coordination Team consisting of technical delegations to bring the patients, especially the patients with cancer, who were completely deprived of treatment, to Türkiye as the Gaza Turkish Friendship Hospital became unusable as a result of the Israeli attacks. On November 14, I had a video conference call with the Minister of Health of Egypt. As a result of the intense work of the health coordination team we previously established during this period, we agreed that patients with cancer in Gaza would pass to Egypt via the Rafah Border Gate. First, I had a bilateral meeting with my esteemed colleague Gaffar in Cairo. We visited two different hospitals, one of which was a children's hospital, where the patients from Gaza were treated. In the afternoon, we visited the hospital in El Arish, located close to the Rafah Border Gate, and wished our Gazan brothers and sisters a quick recovery. We believe that we have taken an important step by bringing 27 patients and 13 companions to Türkiye by planes belonging to Turkish Presidency and Ministry of National Defense as a result of the international health diplomacy and the activities we carried out in the field." "Türkiye is the first country which Egypt allows to transfer patients” Minister Koca underlined that Türkiye was the first country which Egypt allowed to send aid by ship and also allowed to transfer patients through the Rafah Border Gate. Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca stated that the activities carried out to heal the wounds of Gazan people would continue increasingly both diplomatically and in the field, and added: "The treatment of our brothers and sisters, who are in Türkiye as our guests, will continue in Bilkent City Hospital in Ankara. With all these developments, we have also come a long way regarding establishing field hospitals in the area close to the Rafah Border Gate in Gaza, at points deemed appropriate by the relevant internal and external partners, and also on the Egyptian side, and providing joint healthcare services with Egypt. As our esteemed President stated, Türkiye will always continue to stand by the oppressed, be the voice of justice, rights and law, and not leave its friends and brothers alone through good and bad times." "We can be successful in establishing a field hospital in the area close to the Rafah Border Gate" Minister Koca answered the question regarding the latest situation regarding the field hospitals planned to be established in Gaza and Egypt as follows: "We sent a total of 8 field hospitals by ship, including hospitals that can serve under severe climatic conditions. We especially want to establish these field hospitals in suitable places in Gaza in the near future. The tripartite coordination team that I mentioned earlier is carrying out activities regarding this, including locating, and I hope we can be successful in establishing the field hospital in the area close to the Rafah Border Gate in Gaza in the near future." In response to another question, Minister of Health Koca stated that they sent a medical team of 20 people from Türkiye and added, "We are sending a team from Türkiye to evaluate the patients at the first stage, together with our Egyptian colleagues, especially in Sheikh Zayed Hospital and El-Arish Hospital. Concerning this, we are working on a team including the branches needed, especially plastic surgery. More doctors needed for the team will also be added in the coming days.” In response to the questions, Koca stated that all the patients brought to Türkiye were patients with cancer and continued as follows, "There are patients who are followed up especially at Palestine Türkiye Friendship Hospital. Only one patient has a blood disease and that patient was brought for bone marrow transplantation. All the other patients have cancer.” In response to the question of whether more patients will be brought to Türkiye, Minister of Health Koca said, "The tripartite coordination team that I mentioned is continuing its activities rapidly. We continue to work determinedly to bring the patients with cancer and pediatric patients to Türkiye. We hope to bring them in the coming days. Our activities on this issue continue.” When asked about the situation of the babies in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, Minister of Health Koca said, "We conveyed our request, and we especially told that we wanted to bring the premature babies, and the premature babies with respiratory distress in transport incubators, that we could meet any demand regarding this, and that we could transfer these babies under intensive care conditions when necessary. Our discussions about this continue." Minister Koca stated that they were in close cooperation with the Minister of Health of Israel and the Minister of Health of Egypt, and that the tripartite coordination team consisted of Egypt, Türkiye and Israel. Explaining that their communication continues, Minister Koca said, "No patient has ever been sent to another country via Egypt for treatment. For the first time, the patients were brought directly to Türkiye through the Rafah Border Gate today." 27 patients, who were transferred to ambulances from planes landing at Esenboğa Airport, were taken to Bilkent City Hospital.
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