Assistant physician's struggle against doctor's harassment

"We are not safe" (by Evrim Kepenek - bianet)

Click to read the article in Turkish

Working at the Bakırköy Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Psychiatric Training and Research Hospital in İstanbul, physician Erkan Aydın has been sentenced to over 11 months in prison for subjecting D.E., an assistant physician from the same hospital, to systematic sexual harassment.

However, temporarily dismissed from profession by the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), physician Aydın is still working.

He harassed assistant physician

Dr. Erkan Aydın was both treating patients and training assistant physicians at the hospital. In January 2020, he proposed assistant physician D.E. to meet outside the hospital for several times, abusing his influence stemming from the hierarchy between them as he was her superior and from the environment of trust as they were within the same working organization.

He sent messages to D.E. in and out of working hours, including late at night, disturbing and bothering her, kept her alone in his room at the hospital for periods that cannot be considered normal in a work environment and questioned her about the reason why she did not return his messages.

Despite all objections and protests of the assistant physician, Dr. Erkan Aydın reportedly insisted on this behavior.

TTB has dismissed him from profession

Amid this systematic harassment, assistant physician D.E. first talked to her colleagues, then informed both the hospital administration and professional organization. She also appealed to the prosecutor's office.

The disciplinary investigation launched by the Ministry of Health has not yet been concluded. In the meanwhile, Dr. Aydın was sent to the Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital in a temporary assignment. In this way, the physician was prevented from contacting the assistant physician at the hospital and using his hierarchical position.

Moreover, the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), the professional organization, has given the severest possible punishment to Aydın in the ensuing investigation and "temporarily dismissed him from profession."

As for the judicial process, the court has ruled that Erkan Aydın shall be sentenced to 11 months, 7 days in prison by increasing the prison term foreseen in the law "as he committed the offense of sexual harassment and did the act by using the opportunity provided by the service relationship and used electronic communication devices."

However, his temporary assignment ended and he returned to his job at Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Psychiatric Training and Research Hospital.

Hospital personnel are concerned

In response to this, assistant physician D.E. applied to the Chief Physician's Office as she did not want to work at the same hospital with him and demanded that Erkan Aydın be sent to another hospital.

In a rather unprecedented solidarity, 40 personnel from the same hospital also submitted petitions to the Chief Physician's Office and said that they also did not want to work with him at the same hospital.

In the meantime, written applications were made to the Ministry of Health and Presidential Communications Center (CİMER).

According to latest information, Dr. Erkan Aydın has been sent to the Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Hospital, another hospital in İstanbul. But hospital personnel are still concerned about "whether he will return to the hospital and continue training assistant physicians."

The decision of the hospital administration is awaited now. (EMK/SD)