WASHINGTON, December 5, 2024 – The World Bank Board today approved $250 million in financing to improve readiness for and handling of public health emergencies in Türkiye.
The Türkiye Preparedness for Public Health Emergencies Project will help expand vaccine production and strengthen the country’s capacity to detect and initiate a rapid response to public health emergencies. The project will support vaccine production by financing equipment and technical assistance. Emergency preparedness will cover public health risks stemming from a range of sources, given the country’s susceptibility to risks from infectious diseases, climate change and natural disasters.
The project will benefit the entire population of Türkiye through increased access to domestically produced vaccines over the long term, as well as through improved disease surveillance and strengthened capacity for emergency response. These efforts will help prevent the spread of infectious diseases and curb public health risks which will have positive health, economic and social impacts.
“Türkiye has made significant strides in the health sector, enhancing access to affordable healthcare and improving health outcomes through a well-functioning primary healthcare network. This operation will enhance the country’s resilience by strengthening public sector capacity to contain disease outbreaks and to effectively plan response and risk communication for public health emergencies. The World Bank is delighted to support Türkiye’s efforts to protect its people from new and emerging public health risks, such as global pandemics,” said Humberto Lopez, World Bank Country Director for Türkiye.
Recent threats have underlined the country’s vulnerability to public health emergencies. The COVID-19 pandemic had severe impacts on people’s health and well-being, with over 17 million confirmed cases and over 100,000 deaths. The devastating earthquakes of February 2023 also inflicted considerable impact with over 50,000 casualties and 107,000 injuries reported, and an additional 3.3 million people displaced. The earthquakes damaged or destroyed healthcare infrastructure and service delivery capacity as well as clean water and sewage systems, significantly increasing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.
Climate change impacts, such as heatwaves, flooding and wildfires, are further escalating Türkiye’s susceptibility to public health emergencies, with rising risk of climate-related natural hazards and resulting disease outbreaks and biological hazards.
“These challenges underscore the importance of bolstering Türkiye’s capacity to effectively respond to increasing risks to public health,” said Nadwa Rafeh, World Bank Project Team Leader.
The World Bank is a key development partner of Türkiye in the health sector. Most recently, the World Bank was a leader in supporting the response to the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Türkiye, incorporating the necessary experience and high standards to enable further investment in health systems preparedness.
