President Erdoğan: 'Hepatitis A vaccine will now be produced in our country'

AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan stated, "The Hepatitis A vaccine, which was mostly supplied from abroad, will now be produced in our country."

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President Erdoğan: 'Hepatitis A vaccine will now be produced in our country'

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the KeyVac Vaccine Production Center Opening Ceremony.

President Erdoğan stated, "The Hepatitis A vaccine, which was mostly supplied from abroad, will now be produced in our country. Thus, Turkey will become the 4th country to produce this vaccine at the highest standards."

''WE MANAGED THE CORONAVIRUS PROCESS SUCCESSFULLY''

Highlights from Erdoğan's speech are as follows:

''With a total factory area of 29 thousand square meters, KeyVac will take on a pioneering role in this field. Turkey managed the coronavirus process much more successfully than many countries in the world. We did not leave any of our citizens unattended. We provided first-class healthcare services to everyone. We provided all registered vaccines, along with our own vaccine, to citizens free of charge. The Hepatitis A vaccine, which was mostly supplied from abroad, will now also be produced in our country. Turkey will be the 4th country to produce it at the highest standards. Our dependence on foreign countries will decrease. We will also gain advanced and trained human resources.''

THE HIFZISSIHHA INSTITUTE HAD BEEN CLOSED

On the other hand, Erdoğan's statements on vaccines brought to mind the 'Hıfzıssıhha Institute' (Institute of Hygiene), which was also debated during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Refik Saydam Hıfzıssıhha Institute, which was the only organization producing vaccines in Turkey and was founded in 1928, was closed in 2011 during the term of AKP Health Minister Recep Akdağ.

While the closure of the institute became a subject of debate again during the coronavirus pandemic process, the reality that Turkey has become a country that imports all its vaccines today was also faced during the pandemic process.

AKP'S PANDEMIC REPORT CARD

The first thing that comes to mind regarding the pandemic process in Turkey is that while restrictions were imposed on activities in crowded environments, from restaurants and cafes to the general assemblies of unions and associations, AKP provincial congresses were held in halls that were, in the words of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, "packed to the brim."

On the other hand, the announcement made by Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu regarding the curfew declared in 31 provinces to prevent the coronavirus pandemic, only about 2 and a half hours before it took effect, had caused scenes of "stampedes" in markets.

The fact that the distribution of masks, which were said to be 'free' during the pandemic process, could never be carried out in an orderly and equal manner was another subject of debate.

Again, the 'I am vaccinated' mask worn by tourism workers in the summer season promotional video of Turkey, shared by the account named “GoTurkiye” established by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to promote Turkey to the world, was among the events that caused public outrage.

While many sectors struggled with unemployment throughout the pandemic, only 1000 TL in cash assistance was provided to a limited number of citizens.

News Source: AA