By Hassan Isilow
PRETORIA
The Turkish government on Friday donated two obstetric ambulances to South Africa's Department of Health as a token of appreciation for the excellent relations between the two countries.
"On behalf of my government, we are here to hand over two ambulances to the Department of Health of South Africa," Turkish Ambassador to South Africa Kaan Esener said in his address during the handover ceremony held at the Temba community health center some 40km outside capital Pretoria.
He said the contribution was a token of Turkey's appreciation for South Africa's excellent relationship with his country.
"We sincerely hope that these two ambulances will supplement South Africa's efforts in providing swift and efficient healthcare services and help save lives," Esener said.
The modern ambulances are fitted with state-of-the-art equipment, which enables first aid workers to monitor patients' vital signs as they are transported to health centers.
The ambulances will be used for emergencies in transporting women in labor. They are outfitted with equipment to handle new-born babies while in transit.
"As you may know, relations with the African continent constitute a priority for Turkish foreign policy," the diplomat said, adding that the partnership between his country and Africa was a product of strong historical and cultural ties.
Esener further revealed that Turkey had been very active in other African countries, providing expertise and services where needed.
"Turkish doctors have taken part in numerous health screening campaigns organized by Turkish NGOs, government and our aid agency," he pointed out.
The diplomat revealed that, last year, 280,000 Africans were provided with screening health services by Turkish doctors.
He said in 2013, Turkey had a project called the "Africa Cataract Project," which was implemented in four countries – Niger, Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan – with the aim of preventing blindness by performing thousands of free cataract surgery operations.
"A total of 21,000 persons were operated on," he told guests at the gathering.
Esener said South Africa, on the other hand, had played a significant role in the Turkish partnership policy with Africa.
"The main principal of South Africa's humanistic approach, known as "Ubuntu," feels very similar to the cultural and ethical heritage of the Turkish heartland Anatolia," he said.
He said this had provided the two countries with space to further strengthen their relations.
-Appreciation-
For his part, South Africa's Deputy Minister of Health Mathume Phaahla expressed his government's appreciation for the Turkish government and people for the gesture of friendship and solidarity.
"On behalf of the South African government, and the Department of Health, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Turkish government and its people," Phaahla said.
"It is indeed very uncommon for countries to express their friendship through support in the area of health and health services," the official said, noting that this type of assistance normally occurred during times of serious disasters, such as floods and earthquakes.
He went on to say that countries usually expressed their friendship through exchanges in trade, sports, culture and other areas.
"This particularly gesture of solidifying this relationship through support of health services is definitely unique and is highly appreciated," he said to the applause of the audience.
Phaahla said the South African government viewed the contribution not just as a sign of friendship from the embassy and government of Turkey, but also from the people of Turkey.
"This is a very fitting contribution in terms of our own efforts to improve the quality of health services in our country," the health official said.
He said the ambulances were of good quality and properly fitted with the necessary emergency life-support equipment.
Provincial health representatives from the two provinces that benefited from the donation – Limpopo and Gauteng – were present at the ceremony.
In separate speeches, they pledged to use the ambulances for their intended purposes and to provide regular maintenance for the two vehicles.
The event was also attended by several healthcare workers and community members, among others.
"I am happy with the ambulances given to us, because they will help pregnant women during emergencies," a community member who only identified himself as "Oupa" told Anadolu Agency.
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