Ultranationalist party leader targets Turkish Medical Association

The leader of the far right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) targeted the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) who recently called doctors to go on a strike in protest after the murder of a cardiologist by a patient's relative.

Bahceli said on Saturday:

"Nothing good will come out of such shady organizations. I'm telling this at every opportunity, the Turkish Medical Association should be dissolved. Doctors should be reorganized under a new association. We have to save the profession from a bunch of shady anarchists dressed like doctors."

Bahceli had already said on Friday that the two-day strike by the doctors was "very wrong" and "illegal."

TTB tweeted in response on Saturday:

"In order to be able to talk of hope, freedom and joy instead of our lost ones, and to celebrate holidays together in days to come when our health and future are safe in our hands, we are here and will continue to be here!"

MHP is a part of the ruling "People's Alliance" in Turkey, providing fervent support for the administration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan earlier in October 2020 had claimed that "somebody from a terrorist group" was elected to chair the TTB, and that "terror groups took over control of the TTB."

He had also argued that the TTB's activities were in breach of the Turkish constitution.