Ankara, November 27, 2025 – The Europe Today: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday received the World Health Organization (WHO) Europe Award in recognition of Türkiye’s humanitarian assistance to Palestinians and its role in facilitating medical evacuations from Gaza.
The award was presented by WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge during the 11th Turkish Medical World Congress in Ankara.
In his address at the ceremony, President Erdogan sharply criticized the international community for what he described as its prolonged silence in the face of the destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure and the killing of patients, medical workers and infants over the past two years.
“It will certainly not be easy for the world to move from a reality where, for two full years, it remained a spectator as hospitals in Gaza were bombed and patients, health workers, children, and even innocent babies in incubators were killed,” Erdogan said.
He expressed hope that the world would one day become “a paradise” where humanity shares the collective joy of saving lives and celebrates every safe birth as a shared happiness. “This is exactly what we are working for,” he added.
Erdogan highlighted Türkiye’s major strides in health care transformation over the past 23 years, turning the sector into a high-quality, extensive and affordable service network for the entire population. He noted that Türkiye now provides top-tier health services to 86 million citizens, supported by more than 1.47 million health personnel.
According to the president, the health workforce has expanded by 288% since 2002, with nearly 100,000 new staff — including over 57,000 physicians — recruited in the past 18 months alone. He also said that 80% of public hospitals have been rebuilt or newly constructed, with 794 facilities increasing public bed capacity to 173,000.
Qualified hospital beds have risen from 7,000 in 2002 to 122,000 today, while the total number of beds has expanded from 164,000 to 271,000.
Erdogan additionally underscored the progress made in earthquake-affected regions, stating that 109 medical facilities with more than 5,100 beds have been completed, increasing total capacity across 11 provinces from 23,733 to 27,503 beds.
He emphasized Türkiye’s commitment to advancing scientific research, pharmaceutical production and medical device manufacturing. “Despite internal and external obstacles, I believe we will achieve in health technologies what we achieved in the defense industry,” he said, reaffirming Türkiye’s support for innovative initiatives that further its health care objectives.
Turkish Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran also commented on the award through the NSosyal platform, saying the recognition reflects Türkiye’s humanitarian diplomacy shaped by President Erdogan’s leadership.
“Despite the grave situation in Gaza, the continuation of humanitarian aid, the safe conduct of medical evacuations, and the voicing of the oppressed have been possible through our president’s personal follow-up, will, and leadership,” Duran said. He added that Erdogan’s longstanding commitment to the Palestinian cause continues to have a strong impact both regionally and internationally.
