'Health Ministry is trying to portray the situation the way it wants'

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Since the second half of March, Health Ministry has been sharing daily figures about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Turkey. 

However, in a statement on July 29, Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca announced that the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units and the number of intubated patients would not be announced any longer in an attempt "to abide by international standards."

CLICK - Covid-19: Turkey stops announcing number of intensive care patients after sharp increase

Within this context, Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Chair Prof. Sinan Adıyaman released a written statement yesterday (July 30).

Criticizing Health Minister Koca for justifying this decision in reference to international standards, Adıyaman has said, "This standard was not implemented from the beginning. Now, they feel the need to hide it as if some things would meet international standards."

TTB Chair Prof. Adıyaman has argued that the Ministry is attempting to portray the situation the way it wants.

'Is Science Board behind this decision?'

Sinan Adıyaman has briefly stated the following:

"In the Daily Coronavirus Table of Turkey, from now on, the number of 'patients in critical condition' will also be shared so as to meet the international standard that has arisen during the outbreak. In addition to the new and total number of cases, the 'rate of patients with pneumonia' will be shown in order to offer detailed information about the course.

"With the tweet he posted, it is how Health Minister explains the reason. Throughout the outbreak, we have been hearing references to the recommendations of the Science Board. What we are curious about is whether the Science Board is 'behind' this change or not.

"Let's say this clearly: Unfortunately, due to early, hurried, uncontrolled steps of the government deprived of any guidance by epidemiology, the outbreak cannot be suppressed, the numbers have increased after June 1 and the number of new daily cases is now fixed somewhere near 1,000.

"We say numbers, but each and every one of these numbers is human and the information coming from the field makes us think that we are actually faced with a reality which is beyond the statements of Health Ministry.

'Number of cases is above statements'

"To İstanbul, the Health Minister's Wuhan, Diyarbakır and other provinces in the region have been added as the 2nd Wuhan. The observations of our colleagues across the country clearly indicate that the number of cases is way above the announced total numbers.

"There are increasing suspicions that the data are shown less than they actually are or that they are hidden.

"Removing the number of intensive care and intubated patients from the table in an environment where our patients are struggling for their lives, intubated and in intensive care units, stands in contrast with the seriousness of the situation, leading to a failure to understand this seriousness on the part of the people and a failure to ensure adaptation.

"In attempting to make sense of why these two parameters have been removed from the table, it is in vain to look at epidemiology. Since the onset of the pandemic, Turkey has not followed a line in compliance with 'international standards" in sharing data and this change cannot be associated with principles of science or outbreak management, either.

"Indicating that it has revised the data according to international standards, the Ministry of Health has not adopted the codes recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for reporting deaths. The real dimension of neither patients nor fatalities is known."

Emphasis on transparency

Concluding his statement, TTB Chair Prof. Adıyaman has underlined the importance of sharing data in a transparent and scientific manner:

"This change in the table will lead to misleading and false information on the part of people and will cause them to panic as they will think, 'So, it means the numbers of intensive care and intubated patients are very bad'."

Underlining that it will also undermine the people's trust in the government and Minister of Health in outbreak management, Adıyaman has said, "It is a serious problem for all of us," briefly adding the following:

"Fitting the outbreak data and other information into a single table shared on Twitter and web page is not a must. Adding two new parameters to the table does not necessarily mean that two others should be removed.

"The removed data are now kept hidden from the public. On the very contrary, what is expected is to share more data.

"Human life and our country's struggle against COVID is so big and important that it cannot be fitted into a Twitter table."

Prof. Adıyaman has called on the authorities to announce all scientific data in different tables so that the related authorities, especially physicians, professional organizations and scientists, can explain them in a way that can be understood by the general public.

"Transparency and trust are the prerequisites for struggling against the outbreak," he has underlined. (HA/SD)