World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank representatives visited OMU to review plans for a modern, environmentally sustainable hospital designed to remain resilient to earthquakes, disasters, and climate-related risks.

Work has begun on the new 800-bed hospital planned for the Health Practice and Research Center (Faculty of Medicine Hospital) of Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU).

Following the project’s inclusion in Türkiye’s 2026 Investment Program, representatives from the World Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change visited OMU to inspect the project site and hold discussions with the University administration.

At a meeting chaired by OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın, participants reviewed the hospital’s physical and technical specifications, financing arrangements, design and implementation stages, and plans to develop the facility as a resilient healthcare institution capable of withstanding disasters and the impacts of climate change.

The delegation also inspected the site directly in front of the Rectorate building where the new hospital is planned to be constructed. Representatives of the World Bank and AIIB expressed a highly positive assessment of the location and its suitability for the project.

World Bank and AIIB Collaborate on the Project

Speaking at the meeting in the OMU Senate Hall, Christopher Herbst, the World Bank’s Health, Nutrition and Population Practice Leader for Türkiye, noted that this was his first visit to Samsun and the Black Sea Region.

“I am very pleased with the warm welcome from Samsun and the University. I have been very impressed by the city and its coastal atmosphere.”

Highlighting the World Bank’s longstanding cooperation with Türkiye, Herbst emphasized that the new hospital project goes beyond the construction of a new building.

He described the selected site as highly suitable for the project and expressed his satisfaction at having the opportunity to inspect it in person.

Herbst explained that the World Bank provides governments with both financing and technical assistance, with the broader objective of generating development impact through investment. He said OMU’s new hospital would make an important contribution to healthcare access across the region while also creating benefits in terms of employment and regional development.

The hospital is one of the investments supported under the Türkiye University Hospitals Resilience Project (TURHAP). The initiative aims to make university hospitals structurally and operationally more resilient to disasters, earthquakes, climate change, and other major disruptions.

Herbst stressed that hospitals need to withstand not only seismic hazards but also extreme heat and other climate-related shocks. Ensuring that healthcare services can continue uninterrupted before, during, and after disasters is therefore a central objective of the project.

He added that the World Bank-supported initiatives have a combined budget of approximately USD 1 billion and are being implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change.

Project Combines Infrastructure Investment with Technical Support

Herbst explained that the broader project comprises three principal components.

The first focuses on financing hospital construction, with technical assistance for design processes also available where required.

The second covers technical and institutional support beyond construction itself. This includes bringing university hospitals together to discuss common challenges and potential solutions while strengthening the exchange of knowledge and experience between institutions.

During the meeting, participants discussed plans for university hospitals to convene once or twice a year to evaluate shared needs, challenges, and possible solutions.

Representing AIIB, Investment Specialist Manuel Cervero Barcena expressed the institution’s satisfaction at working alongside the World Bank and contributing to efforts to strengthen Türkiye’s healthcare infrastructure.

AIIB Investment Specialist Kathreen Miralles said the delegation had come to OMU to explore how the institution could support the new hospital project in cooperation with the University administration. Mark Barnard, Senior Environmental Specialist, likewise welcomed the opportunity to review the project’s development on site and contribute to its progress.

Rector Aydın: “We Need an Environmentally Sustainable and Resilient Hospital”

Providing information about OMU’s capacity in education, research, and healthcare, Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın highlighted the University’s 50-year history and noted that the Faculty of Medicine’s Turkish- and English-medium programs are accredited.

Prof. Dr. Aydın emphasized that the OMU Faculty of Medicine Hospital is a tertiary teaching and research hospital serving approximately one million patients annually.

She noted that the hospital serves not only Samsun but also patients from across the Black Sea Region, other parts of Türkiye, and abroad. However, the existing hospital infrastructure is increasingly struggling to meet the University’s growing needs.

New Hospital to Provide Approximately 140,000 Square Meters of Indoor Space

Sharing details of the planned 800-bed hospital, Rector Aydın said:

“The new hospital will have 120,000 square meters of enclosed space, increasing to approximately 140,000 square meters with the inclusion of the isolator floor. In addition to the approximately 84-decare site on which the hospital will be constructed, two separate plots of 23 and 33 decares will be allocated for parking.”

The hospital building is planned to have a 20,000-square-meter footprint.

The new healthcare complex is expected to incorporate modern medical technologies and be designed around the needs of both patients and healthcare professionals. Environmental sustainability and disaster resilience will also be among the fundamental criteria guiding the project’s design and implementation.

Delegation Inspects the Project Site

As part of the visit, representatives from the World Bank, AIIB, and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change inspected the site of the future hospital together with the OMU administration.

The external delegation included World Bank Health, Nutrition and Population Practice Leader Christopher Herbst; AIIB Investment Specialists Manuel Cervero Barcena and Kathreen Miralles; AIIB Senior Environmental Specialist Mark Barnard; and ministry specialists working in the areas of social safeguards, environment, occupational health and safety, and architecture.

Project Included in Türkiye’s 2026 Investment Program

The new hospital project for the OMU Health Practice and Research Center was included in the 2026 Investment Program following its approval by the Planning and Budget Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM) in February.

The survey and design tender for the project was subsequently announced by the General Directorate of Investments on 22 June 2026.

With the new hospital, OMU aims to strengthen its capacity in medical education, research, and clinical practice while providing the people of Samsun and the wider region with healthcare services through a more modern, safe, accessible, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure.