The SIHHAT Project seeks to strengthen and expand primary and secondary healthcare services delivered by the Ministry of Health to migrant communities in Türkiye. Within this framework, the scope of services has been broadened, while the capacity and quality of healthcare delivery have been enhanced across 32 provinces with high migrant populations, ensuring easier access to health care.
The SIHHAT Project continues its efforts to address the health needs of migrant communities in their own languages, through strengthened and enhanced healthcare services.
PRIMARY HEALTHCARE SERVICES PROVIDED UNDER THE PROJECT
A – Migrant Health Centres
Migrant Health Centres are facilities designed to provide primary healthcare services to migrants living in Türkiye, structured according to the standards of the country’s family medicine system, with one unit allocated per 4,000 SuTP. By employing Syrian healthcare personnel and patient referral staff who speak both Arabic and Turkish, these centres aim to overcome language and cultural barriers and ensure the effective delivery of healthcare services. In this way, access to healthcare services for Syrians has been significantly improved.
- As part of the SIHHAT Project, 176 Migrant Health Centres are currently operational across 32 provinces with high migrant populations.
B- Extended Migrant Health Centres
In settlements where the Syrian population exceeds 20,000, healthcare services are delivered through Extended Migrant Health Centres. In addition to the primary healthcare services offered at MHCs, these extended centres also provide internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, oral and dental health, and psychosocial support services, along with laboratory and radiology services. In this way, the project aims to increase access to healthcare and reduce the burden on hospitals.
SECONDARY HEALTHCARE SERVICES SUPPORTED UNDER THE PROJECT
To effectively respond to the growing demand in provinces with high migrant populations, the SIHHAT Project provides support for the medical equipment, furnishings, and fixtures required by healthcare facilities established by the Ministry of Health.
- Within the scope of the SIHHAT Project, 3,966 medical devices and pieces of equipment, along with 163 microscopes, have been procured for 113 public hospitals.
In the provinces served, the growing demand for intensive care units and the rising pressure on existing facilities have necessitated new investments in this area. (Intensive care units are critical healthcare units that combine advanced technology with trained professionals to deliver specialized care.) The project aims to strengthen the intensive care capacity of secondary healthcare facilities and to reduce inequalities in access to intensive care services.
- Within the scope of the SIHHAT Project, neonatal, pediatric, and adult intensive care units have been established in secondary healthcare facilities.
COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS
The effects of migration on individuals’ mental health emerge in multiple ways. These effects make interventions for mental health problems essential within the scope of healthcare services to be provided to the migrant population. Community Mental Health Centers are designed as facilities that provide primary and secondary healthcare services for individuals with chronic mental health problems. They function as day hospitals, where patients with chronic psychiatric conditions receive medical treatment and spend their time in recreational activities.
- Within the scope of the SIHHAT Project, 10 Community Mental Health Centers have been established. These centres contribute to improving the psychological well-being of both host communities and the migrant population.
Within the scope of this activity:
- 10 Community Mental Health Centres have been established in the provinces of İstanbul, İzmir, Bursa, Adana, Hatay, Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Gaziantep, and Kilis.
- Patient referral staff fluent in Arabic and Turkish, as well as support staff, are employed in these centres.
- Furniture, sports equipment, medical equipment, IT equipment, and consumable supplies are procured for the centres.