New Girne and Güzelyurt hospitals open after years of waiting
THE new Girne and Güzelyurt state hospitals officially opened on Friday in simultaneous ceremonies, marking the completion of two healthcare projects that residents have awaited for years.
Türkiye’s Vice-President Cevdet Yılmaz joined Prime Minister Ünal Üstel at the Girne opening, while Health Minister Hakan Dinçyürek attended the ceremony in Güzelyurt, where the hospital will provide services across 18 medical specialities with 36 doctors.
Speaking in Girne, Mr Yılmaz announced that TL1.514 billion had been allocated to healthcare under the 2026 Economic and Financial Co-operation Protocol between Türkiye and the TRNC. He said the funding would strengthen infrastructure and improve standards of care, with public demand helping to determine investment priorities.
The Güzelyurt hospital will operate a round-the-clock emergency department staffed by two teams, Mr Dinçyürek said. Its facilities include X-ray, ultrasound and laboratory services.
Among the specialities available are paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine, ear, nose and throat, dentistry, mental health, respiratory medicine, ophthalmology, radiology, urology, dermatology and cardiology. Eight general practitioners will also serve at the hospital.
Mr Dinçyürek said equipment and staffing arrangements had been put in place to meet the region’s healthcare needs and give residents greater confidence in the availability of local treatment.
In Girne, hospital chief physician Beyhan Berova said the new premises would allow staff to offer a broader range of care locally. Limited facilities had previously meant referring patients to the main hospital in Lefkoşa, she explained.
The opening reflected both a responsibility towards Girne residents and the enthusiasm of healthcare staff to provide improved services, she said, thanking Türkiye and everyone involved in completing the project.
Mr Üstel said the two openings fulfilled longstanding expectations in Girne and Güzelyurt, with the projects completed through a combination of local resources and financial co-operation with Türkiye.
He also linked the government’s wider healthcare building programme to assessments carried out following the February 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye, in which the TRNC lost members of the Champion Angels group. Public buildings, including schools and health centres, had subsequently been examined for earthquake resistance, with some health facilities demolished and rebuilt and others scheduled for replacement.
Both Mr Üstel and Mr Yılmaz also visited the new hospital under construction in Lefkoşa before attending the opening ceremony.
Mr Üstel said the planned 343-bed Nalbantoğlu hospital was expected to open in 2027, while Mr Yılmaz said construction was progressing according to schedule.
Describing the Lefkoşa project as the future flagship of the TRNC’s healthcare system, Mr Yılmaz said its completion would further expand the services available to patients.
