Ministry of Health’s Legal Suit Brought Against ‘Gezi Doctors’ Dismissed

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A legal suit brought by the Ministry of Health concerning the doctors who provided medical service during the Gezi Resistance is concluded today (November 14).

İstanbul 12th Civil Court of First Instance dismissed the case presented for İstanbul Chamber of Medicine, Honorary Board and Investigation Board to be discharged.

In her interview to bianet, doctors’ lawyer Meriç Eyüboğlu said that practicing medicine in Gezi was prosecuted and that the Ministry of Health aims to put pressure on the professional chambers by means of such suits.

"The Ministry wanted the 'elected boards' to be discharged"

As to why the doctors were sued, Eyüboğlu said:

“We’ve finally come to the end of the legal suit brought during Gezi resistance. The suit was important for couple of reasons. First of all, practicing medicine in Gezi resistance was tried because subject of the suit was not ‘practicing medicine’ but ‘practicing medicine during Gezi resistance’.

“The suit was filed on charge of ‘Providing a service that can only be fulfilled by the ministry out of its purpose’ and it was demanded that all the then elected boards (2012-2104) be discharged”.

“Medical intervention is mandatory in terms of both ethical principles and law”

Eyüboğlu explained that elections of professional chambers are held in every two years, the elected boards have already changed since that time but they didn’t bring it to the agenda at any phase of the prosecution:

“Because both domestic and international law of which Turkey is a party as well, and legislation on health oblige the doctors to provide medical service as they see a person in terms of occupational values, ethical principles and universal law.

“In opposition to the ministry’s claim, not only doctors but also citizens not medically intervening in case of seeing a wounded person on the street is legislated as a ‘crime’ in Turkish Penal Code”.

“The Ministry aims to put pressure”

“The Ministry of Health has presented similar legal suits against the Chamber of Pharmacists, Chamber of Dentists, Ankara and Hatay chambers of medicine as well as İstanbul.

“The Ministry aims to put pressure on the professional chambers by means of such suits”. (AS/TK)