Doctors warn of increasing Covid-19 infections in family healthcare centers

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The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) has published its monthly survey among family healthcare center (FHC) doctors.

Speaking at a virtual meeting, TTB Chair Prof. Şebnem Korur-Fincancı said that the increase in the number of family doctors infected with Covid-19 was "worth attention."

According to the survey conducted among 1,520 doctors in 75 provinces, 68 percent, or nearly two-thirds of the FHCs have at least one infected health worker, up from 48 percent in the previous month.

"As family doctors, we want more support and resources. We want a public administration that works together with us and manages the outbreak," said Dr. Emrah Kırımlı. "We want it to be seen that we get ill as well."

Dr. Sibel Uyan has reiterated the health workers' demand for Covid-19's recognition as an occupational disease for health workers.

Here are other findings of the report:

• The number of patients per one family doctor increased from 59.59 (19.79 Covid patients) in November to 63.11 (22.75 Covid patients) this month.
• 55 percent of the family doctors said there was an increase in new cases while 12 percent said there was no change.
• While new cases have decreased in some larger cities including İstanbul, Ankara and Bursa, there was an increase up to four times in other larger cities such as Adana, Mersin and İzmir.
• While the case/population rate in İstanbul's lower-income districts such as Ümraniye, Üsküdar and Pendik is about 7 to 8 percent, it is about 2 to 3 percent in Moda, Beşiktaş and Zekeriyaköy.
• Contact monitoring rate through telephone was 67 percent, similar to last month.
• Provincial health directorates started to open investigations and issue penalty points because of telephone monitoring.
• Cancer scans in FHCs decreased by 90 percent. At least 3,000 people lost the chance of an early diagnosis of colon cancer. (AÖ/VK)