Health Ministry ‘embargoes’ İstanbul Municipality’s affiliate company

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The canteens of public hospitals managed by the İstanbul Tourism and Health Investments Management Co. (BELTUR), an affiliate of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, are closing one by one.

While BELTUR, the affiliate company of the opposition-led İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İMM), was managing 55 canteens in 38 hospitals across the city, the company has had to close 48 canteens because the Ministry of Health has not renewed the rental contracts.

Among the canteens closed for this reason are the ones in the Bakırköy Sadi Konuk Hospital, Dr. Siyami Ersek Chest and Cardiovascular Diseases Surgery Hospital, Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital, Bakırköy Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Psychiatric Hospital, Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Training and Research Hospital and Bağcılar Public Hospital, namely, some of the busiest hospitals of İstanbul.

'We have to buy from vending machines'

Speaking to Sibel Bahçetepe from daily Cumhuriyet, the officials of the İMM have indicated that the expired rental contracts have not been renewed again, adding, "During the coronavirus pandemic, BELTUR continued its operations in hospitals even though the contracts had expired; however, the proceedings of eviction started as of the end of 2020."

Speaking to İsmail Arı from daily BirGün, Health and Social Service Laborers' Union (SES) İstanbul Şişli Branch Chair Fadime Kavak has said that as the canteens are closed, citizens and healthcare workers have to buy food and beverages from the vending machines in hospitals:

"There are vending machines in hospitals. A small bottle of water is sold for 3 lira there. Tea is sold for 2.5 lira, coffee for 3.5 lira and mineral water is sold for 3 lira. In the canteens run by BELTUR, healthcare workers were sold tea for 0.5 lira and coffee for 1 lira. These vending machines make no discounts for healthcare workers; they cannot possibly sell food like hot soap or toast, either. Moreover, these vending machines belong to a private company and these companies are making profit."

It is not the first time

After it was reported in the press that the canteens of BELTUR were closed, citizens have started expressing their objections and problems on social media. The canteens of some hospitals have been closed for around 6-7 months, which has affected healthcare workers the most.

Following the local elections on March 31, 2019, first, the public banks stopped buying Hamidiye Su drinking water from the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality; similar other news followed suit.

It was also revealed that in the city hospitals, which have been introduced by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) with the "Build-Operate-Transfer" model, the management of the canteens was allocated to the persons and companies close to the government.

NOTE: After Ekrem İmamoğlu, the İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor candidate of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and İYİ Party, won the local elections on March 31, 2019 by a slight margin, the Supreme Election Council (YSK) cancelled the İstanbul elections on May 6, 2019, after İmamoğlu received his certificate of election. In the repeat İstanbul election held on June 23, 2019, Ekrem İmamoğlu won the election by a margin of 806 thousand votes against Binali Yıldırım, the candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

(HA/SD)