Hatay's new hospital inaugurated by Erdoğan largely unfinished

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Amidst the chaos of unpainted drywalls, scattered construction materials, unfinished roads, and sounds of circular saws, three people who likely are construction laborers take a break.

"The hospital isn't finished yet?" asks the person filming.

"No, brother," one of the construction workers replies.

"Yesterday, it was opened though," the cameraperson remarks.

"It's a sham, to collect votes," the worker answers while holding a piece of carton board in his hand.

The scene depicted is nothing like "the beautiful state hospital" that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan opened during a widely publicized tour through Turkey's provinces heavily devastated by the February 6 earthquakes on Sunday (May 21).

The tremors pulverizing large swathes of Turkey's south and southeast rendered approximately 15 hospitals inoperative and leveled the local İskenderun State Hospital, amongst others.

"Since we saw that our district needed a beautiful state hospital during our Defne visit, we immediately instructed our ministry and started the works," the incumbent, who faces a runoff on May 28, states during the inauguration ceremony attended by a large crowd holding Turkish flags. The new medical facility was purportedly erected within 60 days.

However, a delegation of the Union of Turkish Medical Association (TTB), Hatay Chamber of Physicians, and the Healthcare and Social Service Workers' Union (SES) visited the site in Hatay on May 22 and reported construction activities.

Expressing their concerns, the delegation highlighted the potential risks to public health and shared footage of the ongoing works.

"Opening healthcare facilities before their completion threatens the health and occupational safety of the public, healthcare workers, and construction workers," the group of representatives warns.

Groundbreaking ceremony

The President had previously attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the hospital on March 24, during which he assured that the healthcare centers in the region, including Defne State Hospital, would be swiftly reconstructed.

However, viral footage emerged, revealing the absence of construction work and the incorrect cement pouring. It was later clarified that the actual foundation would be made of steel. The erroneous site-poured concrete and hospital sign were subsequently removed.

Ve AKP ile bunu da gördük. Atılan Temel bugün kaldırıldı.
Dün Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan'ın katılımı ile Hatay Defne Devlet Hastanesi temeli atılmıştı. Temel Bugün Kaldırıldı. pic.twitter.com/JPXxS6uBQA

— Nasuh Bektaş (@nasuhbektas) March 25, 2023

Opposition slamming

During this week's visit to the disaster zone, Erdoğan took his time to slam the opposition, stating they do not blame people like the leader of the main opposition party and his supporters do.

He further indicated that they refrain from insulting anyone based on their choices and would never even consider discriminating against those who have suffered losses in the earthquakes.

Additionally, the incumbent in recent days reaffirmed his commitment to providing new homes to the provinces affected by the February 6 earthquakes during his visits to Adıyaman, Maraş, Hatay, and Gaziantep.

He intends to accomplish this if his party wins the upcoming presidential runoff on May 28.

Surprisingly strong support

On May 14's dual elections, support for Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) was surprisingly strong in the earthquake-affected area.

The ruling government has received criticism for its direct and indirect handling of the disastrous tremblors, with help arriving late in the crucial hours after the earthquakes in many areas, while in contrast, the rapid rebuilding responses have been deemed premature due to ongoing aftershocks that may damage the foundations.

Yet, the AKP chair emerged as the front-runner in 8 out of the 11 provinces in the presidential elections. In comparison, his main rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu led in 3 provinces. In the parliamentary elections, the ruling People's Alliance surpassed the main opposition Nation's Alliance in all impacted regions. (VC/WM)