Claim: GATA to become a military hospital again
It has been claimed that preparations have begun to transfer the military hospitals, which were closed and handed over to the Ministry of Health following the July 15 coup attempt, back to the Ministry of National Defense.
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Military hospitals, which were closed after the July 15 coup attempt, have been placed on the agenda to be reopened. 32 military hospitals in 26 cities were civilianized after the coup attempt by being transferred to the Ministry of Health. During this process, a large portion of the 2,043 military doctors specialized in war surgery either retired or moved to the private sector. Deputy Minister of National Defense Şuay Alpay, drawing attention to the decrease in the number of military surgeons, had used the phrase "We are in a dire situation" at the Turkish Grand National Assembly's National Defense Commission.
According to a report by Sözcü, work has begun to reopen the Gülhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) in Ankara, which was founded in 1898 and closed in 2016, as a military hospital once again. Inventory work for the transfer of medical equipment used at GATA from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of National Defense is ongoing, and these procedures are expected to be completed in a short time.
Recently, two privates lost their lives due to severe dehydration at the İskenderun Naval Recruit Training Regiment, while a non-commissioned officer who fell ill on the TCG Kemalreis frigate was martyred. The difficulties experienced in intervening for soldiers wounded in counter-terrorism and cross-border operations have once again highlighted the importance of military hospitals. Although civilian doctors are sent to operations, the lack of war surgery specialists has emerged as a serious problem. 47 of the soldiers who were wounded in the Claw-Lock operation and transferred to hospitals within the country could not be saved.
TURKEY IS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN NATO WITHOUT A MILITARY HOSPITAL
Turkey is the only country among NATO members that does not have a military hospital. While military hospitals exist in countries such as Austria, Germany, and France, military surgeons serve even in countries with a low probability of war, such as Sweden, Norway, and Finland.