Islanders want closed sanatorium to be used for healthcare services

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"From outside, it seems as if there is a shiny and sparkling life in the Islands. On the contrary, there is poor living here. We have problems accessing education and healthcare services. We want the Heybeliada Sanatorium building to be used in order to eliminate these deficiencies."

This how Ömer Süvari from the Islands Defense summarized the locals' reaction against the handover of the sanatorium and its 200-decare land on Heybeliada (Halki), one of İstanbul's Princes' Islands, to the Presidency of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Professional healthcare organizations have also criticized the decision, which was revealed after the Presidency Communication Center responded to an application for information by main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Umut Oran.

After reactions, the Presidency of Religious Affairs stated that it was ready to hand over the building and the land in case a pandemic hospital was decided to be established. Heybeliada Sanatorium had served as the first pandemic hospital of the country during.

Severely damaged after the Marmara Earthquake in 1999 and restored after 2001, the Heybeliada Sanatorium was closed four years later in 2005 on the grounds that it was hard to reach Heybeliada, one of the Princes' Islands in İstanbul, and the number of tuberculosis patients dropped.

While there has not been a statement that a pandemic hospital will be built on the island, the locals think the building should be used in line with the needs of the people.

"The social and cultural fabric of the islands"

Ömer Süvari says that there have been some plans and projects since the sanatorium was closed in 2005 and it was handed over to the Presidency of Religious Affairs in 2018.

The 200-decare land is "very important for the coastal ecosystem" as it is forestland and a breeding site for birds, he notes. However, he adds, beaches and venues with paid entrance were set up after the closure of the sanatorium.

"In 2018, it was allocated to the Presidency of Religious Affairs by the government through the Wealth Fund. Stating that it is against the social and cultural fabric of the island and the needs of the islanders and İstanbulites, we opposed this as we did with other projects until that day," he says.

"We go to İstanbul when we have a health problem"

"Aside from being a sanatorium, Heybeliada Sanatorium was a full-fledged health institution. It was a serious solution point in terms of health for all of us until it was closed in 2005. When the islanders had health problems, they would be served at a hospital on the island, rather than going to İstanbul. We do not have such a possibility right now," says Süvari.

"The on-island ambulance system and the sea ambulances system are insufficient. There is one small 10-bed hospital in Büyükada, which is still insufficient.

"There are small health centers in other islands but they cannot provide services in case of serious health problems, the people of the Islands are sent to the city. The population of the Islands consists of very old people. It is almost impossible for these people to travel to and from Istanbul.

"We do not know if the sanatorium will have a facility for the pandemic, but it becoming operational as a public healthcare facility is our request as the people of the Islands."

The municipality's projects were not taken into account

The Adalar (Islands) Municipality has also criticized the handover, saying that it has made numerous applications for the sanatorium to become operational again.

However, their applications and projects for the use of the sanatorium were not taken into account, it said.

"The Sanatorium should have been preserved, kept alive and passed onto future generations," said the municipality and added that the decision to hand it over to the Presidency of Religious Affairs should be reconsidered.

(TP/VK)