The Marmara University Başıbüyük Additional Service Building was opened as a “pandemic” hospital on April 7, 2020. Maintenance, repair and modernization services of the 24 elevators in the Başıbüyük Pandemic Hospital have been contracted to Cersan Elevator.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic that arose all over the world, many industries came to a standstill. Healthcare personnel who worked fearlessly have been the heroes of the pandemic, which has caused serious economic shrinkage in national economies.
A huge modernization project
Due to COVID-19, unusually large numbers of patients have gone to intensive care units and the other units of the existing hospitals in Istanbul, and some additional measures have been taken. The hospital has been under construction since 1992. It is constructed within a field of 181.754 m², which has a residential area of 16.500 m² and an indoor area of 113.000 m². In the hospital building, there are 535 beds, including single-patient rooms that meet the criteria of qualified patient room. Additionally, there are 62 emergency room short-stay beds, 29 operating rooms, 60 intensive care beds for adults with third-level ventilator, nine intensive care isolation rooms and 195 polyclinic rooms.
The Marmara University Başıbüyük Additional Service Building was put out of service in 2015, but it witnessed a major modernization project with the COVID-19 outbreak.
The largest hospital in the world, strengthened with “seismic insulator” system
The hospital has been reinforced and modernized, including its exterior, electrical systems, elevators and seismic insulator systems. As a result, the pandemic hospital has become the largest hospital in the world, reinforced by a “seismic isolator” system. Thanks to this system, operations can continue during earthquakes, and it is possible to provide complete and uninterrupted health services for up to 72 hours, even during disasters.
During work to put Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital Başıbüyük Additional Service Building into service on April 7, 2020, immediately upon the decision of President Erdoğan, the biggest problem was the modernization of the elevators.
As the elevators were out of service for years, most of them were dysfunctional. Marmara University Hospital Management conducted a communication with Cersan Elevator through direct supply. Consequently, a maintenance, repair and modernization contract for 24 elevators within Başıbüyük Pandemic Hospital, following the first cases and the outbreak in Turkey, was given to Cersan Elevator, based on its skills and competencies.
“We were aware that we need to support healthcare personnel”
“During the modernization process, which helps the traffic within the hospital, we knew that we needed to support the healthcare personnel from all units who do their jobs with great sacrifice and who devote themselves to saving lives. While being able to help devoted healthcare personnel, patients and patients’ relatives increased our motivation, but also put a serious burden on our shoulders,” said Betül Yılmaz from Cersan Elevator.
All of the elevators were put into service in six days
Following the first incidence of COVID-19 in Turkey on March 11, 2020, hospital management got in touch with Cersan Elevator and asked for a meeting. At the end of the meeting, the contract was signed on April 1, 2020, and field work immediately started. Hospital management asked Cersan Elevator to correct deficiencies, make the elevators functional and provide routine maintenance services.
With three teams, Cersan Elevator worked nonstop and made all the elevators functional again, and won the approval of hospital management. Additionally, a heavy maintenance and repair process was carried out, with the modernization of the motor, motor blocks, ropes and, especially, the cabins. As the pandemic still continues, the company also continues providing 24/7, uninterrupted maintenance and repair service.
Challenges
When the Marmara University Başıbüyük Pandemic Hospital was put into service, a very difficult period was experienced in Turkey as well as everywhere else in the world. In the middle of a global pandemic, it was not easy for the company to manage traffic flow for all of the healthcare professionals and patients within the building, where the pandemic made the situation so hectic.
Cersan Elevator, which first had to protect the health of its own personnel, had to provide modernization and maintenance services with protective equipment. Moreover, having to take action outside of the business plan, according to the changing situations, also impacted the team.
Another challenge was time pressure. As the number of the patients increased rapidly, elevators became more and more important. Carrying out maintenance and repair activities with lots of COVID-19-positive patients around was very risky and stressful for the personnel.
Supplying spare parts was another challenge in the project, which has been inspected by several teams, mainly by Fahrettin Koca, the Turkish Republic Minister of Health.
Conclusion
Today, all of the elevators function properly and operate within a standard maintenance routine. Since the delivery of the products, both the hospital management and all elevator users have been using the units effectively.
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