A brand new environment-friendly hospital in Istanbul, Turkey opened its doors earlier than expected on Monday amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group provided €158.9 million ($175.4 million) for the Okmeydani Hospital project which was expected to be completed and officially opened in May.
HOSPITAL STARTED SERVING FOR CORONAVIRUS PATIENTS
More than 600 hospital beds equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including 99 high-tech intensive care units (ICUs), started serving patients suffering from the pandemic, according to a statement from the IsDB Group.
The old Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital was demolished under the Istanbul Seismic Risk Reduction and Emergency Case Preparation Project (ISMEP), with the new building constructed in its place.
Istanbul is in a highly seismic region and Turkey suffered over a hundred major earthquakes of magnitudes of 6 or more on the Richter Scale over the last century.
Thus, the government has taken major steps in adopting a strategy for the seismic-proofing of buildings in a bid to mitigate risks related to major earthquakes, especially public structures including hospitals and other emergency service centers.
