* Photo: Abdullah Söylemez - Ağrı / AA

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"We don't think that it is a democratic attitude. We are angry. We don't find it right," says Dr. Ali Karakoç, the Executive Board Chair of the Ankara Medical Chamber, regarding the COVID-19 vaccination of Central Decision and Executive Board members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) even though they were not high in the order of priority set by the authorities as well as the calls of Health Minister Fahrettin Koca to the bureaucrats and politicians to be vaccinated against the virus.

President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received the first dose of China-based Sinovac company's CoronaVac vaccine following the AKP Central Executive Board meeting yesterday (January 14).

"I believe that especially if all political leaders, MPs encourage the application of COVID-19 vaccine, it will be the right decision," he told reporters, adding that the members of the AKP Central Decision and Executive Board were also vaccinated along with him.

However, according to the protocols announced by the Ministry of Health, the vaccines must be applied first on healthcare personnel, in line with the order of priority, and then on the citizens aged over 65.

Only four of the 51-member AKP Central Decision and Executive Board are over the age of 65 (President Erdoğan Bayram Türkoğlu, Hayati Yazıcı, Orhan Miroğlu). While one of these members, along with four others, also graduated from faculties of medicine or pharmacology, it is still questionable whether they are actively working as healthcare professionals. As for the other members, they are not high in the order of priority.

Click here for detailed information about the dates of birth and educational background of AKP's Central Decision and Executive Board members.

Several social media users also criticized that the MKYK members of the AKP were vaccinated against the virus contrary to the protocols.

Amid these criticisms and reactions, Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca has called on some politicians, including the opposition party chairs, to get vaccinated against the virus, briefly saying: "Within the scope of the vaccination incentive program, I called all the chairs of political parties represented in the parliament, our president of the Constitutional Court and the speaker of the assembly and invited them to be vaccinated."

'They were vaccinated against the protocols'

We have spoken with Ankara Medical Chamber Executive Board Chair Dr. Ali Karakoç about these vaccinations undertaken in noncompliance with the protocols and order of priority and asked him based on what the politicians might me invited to get vaccinated against the virus.

Karakoç, who is himself waiting for his turn to be vaccinated, has reminded us that in several countries including France and Germany, the state and government officials are waiting for their turn, in line with the announcement of the World Health Organization (WHO):

"The order of priority in vaccinating people is certain according to the statements of the Health Ministry and World Health Organization. In fact, the World Health Organization has announced that healthcare workers will be vaccinated first, then the persons aged over 65 will be vaccinated.

"The leaders in western countries have stated that they will be vaccinated when their turns come. But, on what basis did the Minister of Interior invite the members of the Constitutional Court to be vaccinated?

"Even though there are not even studies regarding the use of SinoVac vaccine, which Turkey applies, on people aged over 65, it is -of course- a safe vaccine and we will be vaccinated as health workers.

"But, some officials have been vaccinated even though they do not have priority and contrary to the WHO and Health Ministry protocols.

"From the very beginning, the process has not been managed democratically or transparently. If the aim here is to set an example to the public, the Health Minister and Members of the Science Board, who are already symbolic people in that regard, have already been vaccinated before the press.

"We do not think that vaccinating the officials not in the order of priority is a democratic attitude. We are angry about these practices, we do not approve them. Everyone in the country must be vaccinated with the safest vaccine free of charge according to the order set by the WHO." (AS/SD)