'Health Minister Koca is responsible for wrong policies'

* Photo: TTB

Click to read the article in Turkish

After Vice Minister of Health Muhammet Güven has been removed from office and replaced by Sabahattin Aydın with a Presidential decree published in the Official Gazette yesterday (November 18), the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) has released a written statement about the issue.

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The TTB has argued that the dismissal of Muhammet Güven is an indication that the health policies of the government have collapsed, just as its economy policies have already done so. The statement of the association has stressed that Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca is the one who needs to take responsibility for wrong health policies in Turkey.

The TTB statement briefly reads as follows:

"The dismissal of Vice Minister of Health Muhammet Güven is one of the indications that the government has collapsed in terms of its health policies, just as it has already done in economy.

"However, the bad state of affairs in the struggle against the outbreak and in the therapeutic and preventive healthcare services cannot be covered up by only removing the Vice Minister of Health from office.

"Sabahattin Aydın, who has been appointed as the new Vice Minister of Health, is a person who has great responsibility in the 'Transformation in Healthcare Program', which has been one of the important causes of our failure in the face of the pandemic.

"The person who needs to take responsibility for the wrong health policies is the Minister of Health.

"The organization of healthcare services must be restructured in such a way to incorporate society and all medical labor organizations. Only in this way can we struggle against the outbreak and protect public health." (EKN/SD)