3,474 Health Workers Tested Positive for COVID-19, Says Turkish Medical Association

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The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Central Committee has announced that since Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşçıoğlu lost his life on April 1, 24 health workers, 14 of whom were physicians, have died of COVID-19.

The Association has also stated that 3,474 health workers, 38 percent of whom are physicians, have been diagnosed with the virus.

The professions of non-physician healthcare workers are midwives, nurses, health technicians, health clerks, pharmacists, dentists, cleaning workers, medical secretaries, drivers and engineers.

In preparing its report to document the healthcare workers who have died of coronavirus or have contracted it, the Association has used the data provided by the medical chambers in the provinces.

According to the report that covers public and private health institutions in 44 of 81 provinces of Turkey, the number of diagnosed physicians could be reached in 37 provinces while no differentiation of health workers' professions can be made in three provinces.

The number of physicians who have been diagnosed with the virus is the highest in İstanbul, İzmir, Ankara, Eskişehir and Adana.

While 2,005 healthcare workers have contracted COVID-19 in İstanbul, 960 of these workers are physicians. While 115 physicians have constracted the virus in Ankara, this figure is 32 in Eskişehir, 121 in İzmir and 18 in Adana. These provinces are followed by Diyarbakır with 12 physicians, Kırklareli with 11 physicians, Antalya with 11 physicians, Bursa with 10 physicians and Samsun with 9 physicians.

The TTB has stated, "The primary responsibility of what is happening now lies with the government and the Ministry of Health, which ignore the difficult work condition of healthcare worker, do not adapt working conditions and work order to struggle against the pandemic, do not take the necessary measures in time and effectively, do not carry out the necessary inspections and do not provide the personaş protective equipments in time." (AS/SD)