Turkish Medical Association: Security of Hospitals Should Be Ensured

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The Central Council of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) issued a statement regarding the armed conflict that erupted during the election works of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP İbrahim Halil Yıldız in the district of Suruç in Turkey's southeastern province of Urfa and claimed the lives of four people and wounded eight others yesterday (June 14).

In its statement released today, the Association emphasized that after the armed conflict, the attacks also continued inside the Suruç Public Hospital, adding that two of the deaths occurred in the hospital building.

"Medical services were prevented"

Here are some of the highlights from the statement entitled "The Security of Hospitals Should Be Ensured":

"We have learned that after the conflict, the attacks continued inside the Suruç Public Hospital as well. The fact that two of the deaths occurred in the hospital building points to a serious security hole at the hospital. We have also learned that the emergency medical service ambulances were prevented from referring the wounded to the public hospitals in the vicinity.

"This worrying incident has shown that the hospital was prevented from providing medical services and the security of the medical personnel, especially that of the doctors, was not ensured.

"We demand from the Ministry of Health and Governorship of Urfa that necessary measures be taken so that the medical institutions in the region can provide their medical services and that the public be informed."

Surveillance cameras were broken

The Chair of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, Şebnem Korur-Fincancı shared the picture of the damaged surveillance cameras in the hospital on her Twitter account and said, "The cameras at the hospital in Suruç have been damaged, the attack seems to be planned!"

Statement by the CHP Suruç District Chair

Speaking to Evrensel daily newspaper about the incident, the Suruç District Chair of the main opposition party Republican People's Party (CHP) Servet Gören said, "Father Esved Şenyaşar was attacked by the relatives of the AKP MP Yıldız when he was at the hospital to visit his son, who was taken to the hospital after getting injured."

The BBC Türkçe also reported that an eyewitness said, "The relatives of the MP raided the hospital, killed the wounded brother; the father Esved also went to the hospital, they killed him, too." (BK/SD)