‘No vaccines, no appointments, but perception management in Turkey’

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The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Central Council released a written statement yesterday (April 20) and said that Turkey's Health Ministry does not manage the pandemic, but public perception.

Referring to a recent announcement by Health Minister Fahrettin Koca, who said that the people aged 55 and over would be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the TTB has raised concerns that the vaccination appointment system has been closed afterwards.

According to the TTB statement, when the citizens want to get an appointment, the appointment cannot be scheduled for earlier than May 3.

The TTB Central Council statement has read:

'An announcement was made, but...'

"There ensues a chaos in every update made to the groups to be vaccinated as part of the vaccination program. Most recently, it was announced that the vaccination of the people aged 55 and over would start; however, the vaccination appointment program has been closed.

"The citizens included in the vaccination risk group can get an appointment by neither calling 182 nor by using the mobile vaccination app. According to the information obtained from our medical chambers and TTB branches, there are disruptions in vaccination in all regions of Turkey and it is understood that citizens cannot get an appointment earlier than May 3.

"Failing to answer the questions that we asked about the plans as to the vaccination schedule and procurement of vaccines in the beginning of the process and that we kept on asking over and over again, the Ministry of Health has been managing the perception, rather than the outbreak, as it has been the case since the outbreak of the pandemic.

"It opened the vaccination appointment system for new age groups even though there were obviously not enough vaccines, it made an announcement; then, it has closed the vaccination appointment system.

'Poor management leads to violence'

"Our citizens who learn from the news that they have been included in the risk group and will be vaccinated apply to family health centers and medical institutions, they hold the healthcare workers accountable for the problems that arise in appointment and vaccination and they make requests and accusations against the healthcare workers.

"The poor management of the Ministry of Health is faced by healthcare workers as violence in healthcare.

'Health workers are not accountable'

"We would like to declare to the public that we want all our citizens to be vaccinated as soon as possible, we work hard for this.

"Healthcare workers are not accountable for the problems/ disruptions in vaccination and appointment.

"We call on the Ministry of Health to immediately procure the vaccines that our citizens deserve for mass immunization, instead of managing perceptions, and to include the laborers facing a high risk due to their working conditions in priority groups as soon as possible." (EKN/SD)