February 1, 2006 The heads of the chamber of physicians affiliated with the Turkish Physicians’ Association gathered in Ankara, the capital, to evaluate the developments related to the proposed bill on the physicians’ associations, soon to be discussed in the Parliament. After the meeting, the group held a press conference where they claimed, ‘the program […]
February 1, 2006
The heads of the chamber of physicians affiliated with the Turkish Physicians’ Association gathered in Ankara, the capital, to evaluate the developments related to the proposed bill on the physicians’ associations, soon to be discussed in the Parliament. After the meeting, the group held a press conference where they claimed, ‘the program of transformation in health’ has become ‘a program of collapse in health,’ they said, referring to the governments new program for health care. “We are no longer warning the government, now we are taking charge of the situation, we are stepping in.”
The Deputy President of the Turkish Physicians’ Association, Dr. Metin Bakkalcı, speaking at the press release reminded that as the Turkish Physicians’ Association they had been insistently warning about ‘the program of transformation in health’ for the last 3 years. He said, “In the end, the government and the Prime Minister are now admitting to what we had been saying all along.” Bakkalcı also called attention to a talk given by the Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on January 24th 2006 at his JDP (Justice and Development Party) group meeting where the PM, referring to the government’s erasing the 3.5 Quadrillion debt owed to the hospitals by the treasury, had said, “You all failed. You simply could not handle this. This is treason. This is murder,” to his Secretaries of Health, Treasury and Labor. Dr. Metin Bakkalcı said these words could only be uttered when one loses all self-control and only reflects the exhaustion one is in. He added, “We may not approve the words he used. However, this is a confirmation of what we have been saying by the Prime Minister. These words reflect a collapse of the policies in practice today. The Ministers subjected to these accusations must not stay in their positions. The Prime Minister has to do what his words necessitate. If Erdoğan is sincere, he must apologize to the 70 million people and must repeal his ‘program of transformation in health’ ”
Dr. Metin Bakkalcı said the government had been committing a constitutional crime for the last 3 years by not passing the item proposed in the Turkish Physicians’ Association law to regulate the delegate elections. He said, after continuous efforts by the Turkish Physicians’ Association, finally a bill was prepared by the government, but that bill includes items not consulted with the Turkish Physicians’ Association. Dr. Bakkalcı emphasized that the minimum wage for physicians, calculated by the Turkish Physicians’ Association to protect, develop and to save the value of a physicians’ labor, has been tied to the Budget Application Directive (BAD) in the new proposed bill. If this passes, he said, a physicians’ examination would not be more than 14.5 YTL ($11.00). He said the Secretary of Health, in his speech, contorted the issue and accused the Turkish Physicians’ Association with treason. He continued, “It is not a coincidence that the government officials are using the word ‘treason’ so frequently. These are the indicators that show the collapse in health care.”
The Deputy President of the Turkish Physicians’ Association, Metin Bakkalcı further stated, “The decision of the Meeting of the Presidents is very clear. If the item tying the minimum wage to Budget Application Directive (BAD) is not withdrawn; if the government does not pay the 3.5 quadrillion it owes back to the hospitals; if the whole culprit of all these, ‘the program of transformation in health’ is not withdrawn, the Turkish Physicians’ Association will start the most effective series of public actions. This series of actions will include the richest and the most varied methods of demonstrations. It is not only us, the physicians, who are overwhelmed under this collapse, but so are the 70 million people. This is not a warning we are giving. This is totally taking charge. We are no longer warning, we are taking charge!”
The General Secretary of the Turkish Physicians’ Association, Orhan Odabaşı emphasized the minimum wage issue for the physicians by saying the government and the Health Department saw the value of a physician’s labor as 14.5 YTL ($11.00). To exemplify and to compare similar wages, calculated by the professional associations, he cited:
– A consultation of an attorney with his client: 100YTL. ($77.00)
– An examination by a dentist: 21.5 YTL ($16.5)
– To have a haircut: 8.5 YTL ($6.5)
– To have a sheep examined by a veterinarian: 40 YTL ($30.7)
Orhan Odabaşı, the General Secretary of the Turkish Physicians’ Association asked the Secretary of Health, who is also a physician, “Is this the value of a physician’s labor?”
The Central Committee of the Turkish Physicians’ Association and the heads of the physicians’ associations later went to the Parliament and spoke with the speaker of the main opposition party, the Republican Peoples’ Party (CHP-RPP), Prof. Dr. Haluk Koç and other officials.
M.B.