* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA) - Archive
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The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) made a statement a few days ago and announced that Turkey's Ministry of Health does not report the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and some COVID-19 deaths are registered as "natural deaths" in deaths certificates for this reason.
The association also announced that the death certificate of a physician who had been treated for COVID-19 for four months referred to her/his cause of death as "death from a non-infectious disease/ natural death."
TTB Secretary General Prof. Vedat Bulut comments on the codes used in Turkey and the criteria recommended by the WHO for bianet. Underlining that it is obligatory to report the deaths from infectious diseases, Bulut says, "Turkey has made up two codes to cover up the deaths."
'Codes used by the WHO are different'
Noting that the codes used by Turkey and the WHO are different from each other, Prof. Vedat Bulut briefly says: "One of the codes used by Turkey to register deaths is 'viral pneumonia - infectious disease/ natural death' and the other is 'death from COVID-19 with positive PCR test.'
"The codes used by the WHO are different. The WHO recognizes the ones who have a positive PCR test and the ones who have the COVID-19 symptoms without testing positive for the virus as COVID-19. Turkey writes 'infectious disease (viral pneumonia) / natural death' in the death certificates of those who had a negative PCR test, but showed the clinical symptoms.
"When the physicians enter the Death Information System (ÖBS) and click the cause of death, they see two codes. After the causes of death are written here, they are approved by the Provincial Health Directorates. If 'death from COVID-19' is written as the cause of death of a person who had the clinical symptoms, but tested negative, the system does not approve it."
'Number don't match with the Ministry's'
Prof. Bulut emphasizes that the number of COVID-19 deaths is much higher than the officially announced figures. "The numbers of deaths and cases are at least two times higher than the announced figures, I am saying this scientifically," he underlines further, adding:
"We receive information from the municipalities regarding the number of burials. When compared with the average number of burials last year, it is seen that there are now two times more burials. Considering that there is no other epidemic, the reason for this is COVID-19 and these numbers do not match with the ones announced by the Health Ministry."
'Physician was in intensive care for 4 months'
Prof. Bulut also talks about his colleague whose cause of death was written as "natural death" in the death certificate: "Even though our colleague had been in intensive care for four months and medicine was requested for COVID-19 a week before, it was written as 'natural death.'
"It was done so that he would completely lose her/his rights. Moreover, the PCR test of our colleague was positive. The Minister is talking about the causal relations... They are covering up the deaths of healthcare workers like that so that no causal relation can be established."
'The test has low sensitivity'
Concluding his remarks, Prof. Bulut also talks about the COVID-19 tests used in Turkey. Noting that the test has low sensitivity and only a single type of test kit is used in Turkey, he briefly adds:
"If we used a number of tests, we could see the reality more clearly now. But, we are forced to use a single kit.
"The universities in Turkey are in a position to produce kits. 20 universities can produce tests if they are told to do so now, but they did not accept it. 'We will buy it, we will distribute it, you cannot use any other test,' they said. The price of the test that they use is 4 dollars. They have been paying this money for 400 days now. No one questions where and to whom this money goes." (RT/SD)
