Turkish health workers on two-day strike after brutal killing of cardiologist

Turkish health workers on two-day strike after brutal killing of cardiologist
Publish:
Update: 07 July 2022 14:34
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An average of 80 medical staff each day endures aggression in Turkey and 84% of all doctors have been subject to violence at least once in their career, a survey shows

Turkish Medical Association (TTB) announced a two day medical strike to protest violence against health workers in Turkey, after a patient’s relative shot and killed a cardiologist before committing suicide in Konya, a central city in Turkey. 

The attacker blamed the doctor for the death of his mother, who had been operated on a month ago, Cumhuriyet newspaper said

“Dr. Ekrem Karakaya was massacred on duty! We are mad!” TTB tweeted.

“Health workers gave white code over 110 thousand times over the last 10 years” said Dr. Ali Seker, an MP from the CHP (Republican People’s Party). A white code is a specific signal used by the hospital staff to report violence and call for security.

An average of 80 medical staff each day endures aggression and 84% of all doctors in Turkey have been subject to violence at least once in their career, according to a survey by TTB.

Many medical professionals seek to leave the country due to low wages, heavy workload and the risk of violence.