Criticism arises over exclusion of Kurdish in e-prescription system

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Opposition MPs have voiced criticism against the Ministry of Health for omitting the Kurdish language from its electronic prescription system, despite incorporating five other languages besides Turkish.

On Saturday, Minister Fahrettin Koca announced through social media that the system interface can now be used in English, French, German, Russian, and Arabic languages.

The system, used by healthcare professionals such as doctors, health institution administrators, and pharmacists, serves functions like electronic prescription writing and dosage monitoring.

All 55 MPs of the Green Left Party directed a parliamentary question to Minister Koca, inquiring why Kurdish was not included in the system.

Reminding that Kurdish is the second most spoken language in Turkey, the MPs asked, "Will a step be taken to add Kurdish to the e-prescription system? If not, what is the reasoning behind this decision?"

In addition to this matter, they drew attention to the ongoing issue of receiving healthcare services in mother tongue in the country. They said, "The implementation of public healthcare services in native languages, especially the provision of Kurdish medical treatment rights in hospitals, is a significant necessity."

Also, MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) addressed Minister Koca through social media, saying, "It is unacceptable that Kurdish, the mother tongue of millions of citizens, is not included in the E-Prescription system. Why is Kurdish absent in a system that includes Russian and Arabic?" (RT/VK)