‘Health Ministry is responsible for violence at Turkey’s hospitals’

* Photo: Mezopotamya Agency (MA)

Click to read the article in Turkish

The professional medical organizations held a protest demonstration against violence in healthcare in the capital city of Ankara today (February 24) and denounced the incident where Dr. Ebru Ergin was battered at the Ankara Training and Research Hospital two days ago.

Speaking at the demonstration in front of the Zekai Tahir Burak Hospital, Neurology Association Chair Akif Toçuoğlu said:

Neurologist Dr. Ebru Ergin was battered several times 'because she asked for a report to prescribe medication for her patient'. There can be no explanation for an act of violence that increased to such heights that the head of a physician was hit against the ground.

Topçuoğlu defined violence in healthcare as a problem of labor health and safety and briefly added the following:

"The Ministry [of Health] has the responsibility to fix the situations that threaten workers' health and job safety. The functioning of our workplaces causes us to be subjected to violence more. [...] Just as the employer is responsible for the conditions that lead workers to have an accident at a workplace, the Health Ministry is also responsible at this point. The working conditions at our workplaces must be rendered safe as soon as possible."

Addressing the public authorities, Topçuoğlu asked:

"Has the Ministry undertaken risk assessment on the provincial and hospital level by considering the incrementally increasing white codes?

"In the Strategy Plan unveiled by the Health Ministry, it was indicated that there would be efforts against violence in healthcare. No study or report has been made public so far. Are there efforts for this?

The Ankara Training and Research Hospital is one of the hospitals where the highest number of violent incidents occur. Does the Chief Physician's Office or the Provincial Health Directorate make any efforts about this as the employer?

"Has the Ministry of Labor and Social Security launched an inquiry by accepting the increasing news on violence in healthcare as tip-offs? Is the Ministry of Health making any effort?" (RT/SD)