A psychosocial health support line established by the Turkish government to help people cope with stress from changes wrought by COVID-19 has provided more than 80 000 consultations to health workers and citizens since its launch in March.
The service, which reaches all of Turkey’s 81 provinces, also helps individuals with chronic mental illness and provides a referral mechanism for people who need to access social services.
WHO and the Ministry of Health jointly developed a guide for helpline staff, and, before the launch of the service, trained 418 staff to offer advice on how to protect against COVID-19, manage stress and access mental health services.
WHO has also supported Turkey’s COVID-19 response by delivering millions of masks, gloves, goggles and other items worth US$ 1.7 million to protect healthcare professionals and other frontline workers, thanks to funding from the German government through KfW Development Bank.
This funding has also allowed WHO to help the Ministry of Health track the spread of COVID-19 in Istanbul, one of the cities hit hardest by the pandemic in Turkey.
Two WHO partners, the Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM) and Doctors Worldwide (DWW), helped distribute the protective items across the country.
The funding was also used to purchase disposable stretch covers, disinfectant, infusion sets, deep-freezers, laboratory-type refrigerators, digital infrared thermometers and other laboratory equipment to support Turkey’s COVID-19 response.
DWW made available 5 vehicles with drivers in April–June 2020, to transport Ministry of Health medical teams to run COVID-19 diagnostic tests on contacts of individuals tested positive.
The financial support that allowed for the distribution of PPE was originally intended for WHO’s Refugee Health Programme in Turkey, but was redistributed towards the needs created by the pandemic with the support of the donor.
The Refugee Health Programme continues to support the employment of Syrian personnel in the Turkish health sector, while providing health services to Syrian refugees in Turkey. The programme, launched jointly with the Ministry of Health in 2018, has seen over 390 Syrian personnel hired and almost 80 000 home-care services delivered to date.