Ministry of Health calls on physicians aged 65-72 to return to duty: 'Public health services may collapse'

The number of doctors leaving Turkey for abroad by obtaining a certificate of good standing is increasing every day. The Ministry of Health is preparing to fill the positions of young physicians—whom President and AKP Chairman Erdoğan once told, "If they go, let them go"—with physicians aged 65-72. A second lottery will be held for these physicians.

According to a report by Merve Kılıç from Cumhuriyet; in the first announcement made by the Ministry of Health for 2023, only 39 appointments were made to the 2,669 specialist physician positions opened. Despite a total of 19,252 positions being opened across all fields, only 6,792 people were appointed. Due to the remaining vacant positions, the ministry issued a second recruitment announcement. In this second announcement, positions were opened for 19 provinces. Out of 2,739 positions, 774 were selected. No one applied for the 114 physician positions opened in 36 branches in Adıyaman, which suffered heavy destruction in the earthquake disaster, or for the 27 positions in Kilis. In Hatay, only 23 people applied for 213 positions; in Malatya, 3 people for 81 positions; in Kahramanmaraş, 4 people for 127 positions; and in Gaziantep, only 20 people applied for 310 positions. While four applications were made for 111 positions in Mardin, only one application was made for 76 positions in Osmaniye, and only seven applications were made for 315 positions in Şanlıurfa.

THE HIGHEST VACANCY IS WHERE VIOLENCE IS MOST PREVALENT

While the application rate remained at 10 percent in six provinces, including those affected by the disaster, five provinces had an occupancy rate between 10 and 20 percent. On the other hand, an occupancy rate of only around 40 percent could be reached in Istanbul, İzmir, Antalya, Bursa, and Kocaeli. Gaziantep, where violence against health workers is frequent, is among the provinces with the highest number of vacancies and the fewest applications.

PEDIATRIC SUBSPECIALTIES ARE SOUNDING THE ALARM!

In Adana, despite 52 positions being opened in 35 branches—including critical fields such as intensive care, general surgery, chest diseases, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, neurology, pediatric surgery, and pediatric hematology and oncology—no applications were received.

In Gaziantep, there was no demand for 176 positions across 55 branches, including all pediatric subspecialties, hematology, cardiovascular surgery, and thoracic surgery. In Kütahya, all 53 positions across 24 branches remained vacant. In Erzincan, no appointments were made to the 17 positions opened in family medicine, neurosurgery, general surgery, nuclear medicine, medical biochemistry, medical microbiology, medical pathology, and intensive care branches.

POSITIONS REMAINED VACANT

No one applied for 19 positions in 15 branches in Bartın, 73 positions in 33 branches in Osmaniye, 92 positions in 35 branches in Mardin, and 77 positions in 44 branches in Malatya.

In Şanlıurfa, one of the provinces with the highest rates of violence in healthcare, 261 positions opened for 63 branches—including important departments like urology and otolaryngology—remained vacant. In all provinces, 22 branches, dominated by pediatric subspecialties, were not selected. According to the placement results, no one was placed in the five positions opened for pediatric chest diseases or the 12 positions opened for hand surgery. While one person was placed in the 13 positions opened for pediatric hematology and oncology, 23 people were placed in the 123 positions opened for otolaryngology.

"SERVICES HAVE REACHED THE POINT OF CLOSURE"

SES Workplace Representative Kubilay Yalçınkaya stated, "When looking at the provinces that were not selected on a branch basis, it can be said that some services in some provinces have reached the point of closure and that public service is not being provided in these provinces." Noting that a serious inequality has emerged in health services, Yalçınkaya added, "If the ministry had trained health workers instead of building buildings, this result would not be at this level. Central health camps will be formed. The landscape of Turkey they have created involves domestic patient transfers and mobility within the country for treatment purposes."

RECORD IN CERTIFICATES OF GOOD STANDING!

The number of "Certificates of Good Standing" obtained from the TTB in the first 9 months of this year reached 2,285. This figure was 1,939 in 2022. The increase in just 1 year reached 18 percent.