Physician’s death from COVID-19 recognized as a death of occupational disease

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The application of the İzmir Medical Chamber to the Social Security Institution (SGK) has been accepted and the death of workplace physician Dr. Muharrem İdiz from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been recognized as a death due to an occupational disease.

Dr. İdiz died of the disease last year. Examining the application of the Chamber, the SGK has concluded that his death was caused by an occupational disease. With this decision, his spouse and daughter are provided with an income related to a death from an occupational disease.

The İzmir Medical Chamber has announced the decision with a written statement. "Dr. Muharrem İdiz caught the disease in the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic while he was working as an occupational physician in İzmir and lost his life on April 2, 2020," the statement has said.

Reminding the public that "since the first period of the pandemic, they have been stating that COVID-19 must be recognized as an occupational disease for healthcare workers," the Medical Chamber has said:

"We, as the İzmir Medical Chamber, started our legal struggle in the first days of the pandemic and applied to the SGK on behalf of the relatives of our colleagues with the legal assistance of our Chamber. It was demanded that Dr. Muharrem İdiz's death be recognized as a death due to an occupational disease and his relatives be provided with a relevant income.

"In the first examination carried out by the SGK, the application was rejected on the grounds that COVID-19 was not listed among the occupational infectious diseases. An objection was lodged by appealing to the Supreme Council of Health of the Social Insurances.

"Our application was reexamined with the records requested from the related health institutions and workplaces. Following the examination of the SGK, the spouse and daughter of our colleague have been informed that they will be provided with an income related to a death from an occupational disease as his death has been found to be caused by such disease."

Concluding its statement, the İzmir Medical Chamber has stressed that the situation of all healthcare laborers must be considered within the same framework and without differentiating between public and private health institutions. It has also noted that the relatives of healthcare laborers must not be faced with long legal processes and their monthly wages stemming from the social insurance law must be granted quickly. (EKN/SD)