Her Excellency Frances Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Turkey, Virginia Anderson, PhD, paid a visit to Koru Ankara Hospital for a tour and a follow-up meeting with Prof. Dr Aydan Biri, one of the institution’s founders. The engagement follows a courtesy visit in November and focuses on concrete steps to strengthen medical cooperation between the hospital and Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health.
Prof. Dr Biri, an obstetrician-gynaecologist with subspecialties in perinatology and maternal-fetal medicine, reaffirmed Koru Ankara Hospital’s commitment to welcoming Sierra Leonean medical professionals. She stated that the hospital will prioritise the development of a dedicated Fellowship Program tailored to Sierra Leonean doctors, to launch the initiative in 2026.
The program’s goal is to facilitate knowledge sharing, hands-on training, and professional exchanges that will strengthen Sierra Leone’s ability to care for patients at home. The program’s goal is to promote knowledge sharing, hands-on training, and professional exchanges to strengthen Sierra Leone’s ability to care for patients at home. Prenatal and perinatal services, normal and cesarean childbirth, infertility treatments, in vitro fertilisation, and gynaecological surgeries are all covered. The hospital also offers cancer and haematology services, such as tumour detection and treatment, radiation oncology, bone marrow transplantation, and nuclear medicine. Cardiovascular services include cardiology, heart surgery, and intensive cardiac care. Koru Ankara offers advanced surgical capabilities in urology, gynaecology, bariatrics, and plastic surgery, including general, robotic, and laparoscopic procedures. These specialities are supported by the facility’s extensive diagnostics and imaging resources, internal medicine and pediatric services, including newborn care, and a variety of supportive services such as dental care, ENT, ophthalmology, dermatology, mental health, and rehabilitation.
Ambassador Anderson thanked the hospital for the warm reception and for its willingness to collaborate on capacity-building initiatives. She emphasised Sierra Leone’s desire to explore broader areas of cooperation beyond training, such as efforts to secure modern medical equipment for domestic hospitals. She stated that such investments would reduce costly overseas referrals for specialised care, improve hospital efficiency through better-trained staff, and support preventive and early-intervention services, all of which could reduce late-stage treatment costs.
“I would like to express my gratitude for the hospitality extended to my team and me.
“We will continue to collaborate to make the Fellowship Program a reality by the first quarter of 2026,” Ambassador Anderson said, emphasising Sierra Leone’s commitment to the partnership.
