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The Federation of Family Physicians' Associations (AHEF) has halted work in protest across Turkey for two days, demanding that the "Family Medicine Contract and Payment Regulation" be repealed.
The strike will also continue today (February 18) with the participation of nearly 30 family physicians and family health center employees.
Addressing the public at Ulus Square in the capital city of Ankara yesterday, AHEF Chair Kemal Noyan recalled that family physicians have halted work along with all other healthcare workers for four times and held protest marches and demonstrations for three times over the past year, trying to make their voices heard by the public as well as the Ministry of Health.
Noyan raised concerns that the promises made during the "transformation in healthcare" have been forgotten and instead of being modernized, family health centers have been abandoned to their fate.
'They have become worthless'
* From the protest in Ankara
Underlining that several family health centers are unable to pay their electricity and natural gas bills, Noyan said:
"They cannot meet the increasing personnel expenditures. Nearly 20 thousand trained healthcare workers who work at family health centers and whose wages are met by family physicians will lose their jobs soon; several services offered at family health centers will grind to a halt.
"Unlike what we were promised, the payments of family physicians and family health workers are not improved in the face of inflation when the population to be cared for per family health center decreases.
"Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the fatigue duties given based on negative performance have been increased, thereby rendering family physicians and family healthcare workers worthless.
"Dear Minister of Health; midwives and nurses who earn nearly the minimum wage at family health centers, family physicians who earn less than the poverty line and 197 physicians who have left their country and thousands of others in the past year are your doing."
'A witch hunt has been started'
* From the protest in Antalya
Noyan said, "We have difficulty in understanding the reason behind this disproportionate punishment and pressure on family physicians and family healthcare workers". He briefly added:
"In several cities like İstanbul, Tekirdağ, Muş, Hakkari, Mersin and Diyarbakır, a witch hunt has been started so to speak and the contracts of several family physicians have not been renewed by using the regulation of punishment that we think are against the Constitution. We openly cry out from here: We don't want this regulation of punishment deemed worthy of us."
Muğla: Healthcare services stopped
At the Muğla Ortaca State Hospital in southwestern Turkey, no polyclinic services except for emergencies were offered yesterday.
The 2-day strike action began yesterday and it will also continue today. Halting work in line with the joint decision of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) and Health and Social Service Laborers Union (SES), healthcare workers demand that their employee personal rights be improved, their additional payments affect their pensions, the duration of their medical examination be increased, a basic income above the poverty line affecting their pensions be given and COVID-19 be officially recognized as an occupational disease for health workers in Turkey.
With their two-day strike action, family physicians also demand that the Family Medicine Contract and Payment Regulation be withdrawn, their employee personal rights be improved and the payments to family health centers for their current expenditures be increased.
Physicians all across Turkey, including in Adana, Mersin and Antalya also joined the protest by halting work yesterday. (RT/SD)
* Photos and news: Evrensel - Mezopotamya Agency (MA)
