Striking claim about Fahrettin Koca: Was he going to buy state hospitals?

İYİ Party Group Deputy Chairman Turhan Çömez made striking statements about former Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca on the program "Nokta Atışı," hosted by İpek Özbey on Sözcü TV. Çömez alleged that during his 6-year tenure, Koca was granted land worth trillions in Istanbul and Ankara, and also stated that Medipol Hospitals, owned by Koca, had attempted to purchase hospitals belonging to the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay), a state institution.

According to Çömez's statements, land worth trillions consisting of significant public areas such as Tekel buildings, land in Beykoz, the Ankara Train Station, and the Atatürk Forest Farm were granted to Fahrettin Koca by the state, and millions of dollars in incentives were provided during this process. The İYİ Party Group Deputy Chairman strengthened his claims during the live broadcast by detailing how and under what conditions these lands were granted.

Çömez also argued that primary healthcare services in Turkey have been deliberately dismantled. He claimed that essential health services, such as family medicine, were not given the necessary importance and that the private health sector was being supported. Stating that the number of surgeries in the private health sector has increased dramatically, Çömez expressed that services in state hospitals have remained insufficient.

THE BURDEN OF REFUGEES ON THE HEALTH SYSTEM

According to Çömez's words, it was also stated that during his time as Minister of Health, the burden brought by Syrian refugees on the health system made it impossible to get appointments and caused serious disruptions in health services. It was emphasized how this situation affected Turkey's health policies and negatively impacted citizens' access to health services.

Turhan Çömez also claimed that there was massive waste in vaccine purchases made during the pandemic process under Fahrettin Koca. He argued that Sinovac vaccines purchased from China at a high cost were expensive compared to similar vaccines produced in the UK at a lower cost, and that this situation placed a heavy burden on Turkey's budget.

WAS HE GOING TO BUY STATE HOSPITALS?

Finally, Çömez stated that former Minister of Health Fahrettin Koca founded Medipol Hospitals, the largest private hospital chain in Turkey, and that these hospitals had submitted bids to purchase state hospitals. While these allegations are expected to have wide repercussions in Turkey, there are calls for the claims put forward by Çömez to be investigated in detail and for the necessary steps to be taken.

While no statement has yet come from Fahrettin Koca or his supporters, Çömez's statements continue to create a major debate in the Turkish political arena. Developments on the matter and public reactions continue to be closely monitored.