‘Poor working conditions, usurpation of rights lead to brain drain in Turkey’

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Health Services Union (SAHİM-SEN) Chair Özlem Akarken has made a statement on the occasion of April 7 World Health Day.

"Heroically offering services during the pandemic, our health personnel have been rushing to migrate from Turkey due to the worsening working conditions and losses of rights," Akarken has said, warning that "there will be no cure to this crisis in the upcoming period".

Akarken has added, "We are faced with the fact that we may not be able to find healthcare workers to treat us tomorrow. An urgent and full-scale struggle against the causes of the crisis is a must."

Sharing details about World Health Day as well, the union chair has indicated that "World Health Day, which is marked in the week of April 7-13, has been declared as such by the United Nations (UN)" in 1950.

As noted by the World Health Organization (WHO), World Health Day, this year on April 7, is celebrated annually, drawing attention to a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world.

Speaking in this context, SAHİM-SEN Chair Özlem Akarken has raised concerns that "the failure to undertake works and efforts to put the aims of the day into practice has made World Health Day meaningless for Turkey". She has noted that "the processes where meritocracy is losing ground in medical institutions are dragging public health to a disaster step by step".

Akarken has defined it as a "bitter medicine" to "know that what feeds into this situation is the healthcare system itself".

Emphasis on loss of rights and brain drain

Noting that the situation of Turkey's healthcare system is "alarming", Akarken has said, "Health workers do not think that they are safe and brain drain cannot be hindered. The failure to improve the working conditions decreases the efficiency of healthcare services. Declining employee personal rights, policies of defaming in the public eye, financial losses and the failure to make progress payments underpin the increasing migration".

Referring to the problems at family health centers as well, she has said, "In this system, health workers unfortunately think of going abroad as an alternative. Turkish Medical Association has announced that the number of applications to receive a 'good conduct document' to work abroad saw an all-time high in March, which shows the current dimension of the crisis".

Concluding her statement, the union chair has underlined the importance of an urgent and all out struggle against the causes which lead to the failure to make the necessary improvements, prevent healthcare workers from doing their jobs, incite brain drain and prevent citizens from receiving effective healthcare services. (EMK/SD)