State hospitals in Ankara increased examination times from 5 to 20 minutes, Ankara Medical Chamber executives announced in a press conference today.
Chamber head Dr. Sabri Dokuzoğuz linked the decision to the upcoming NATO summit in the capital city, asserting that it was an attemp to ease crowds at hospitals:
“If you examine patients every 20 minutes, the number of people going to the hospital will drop to one-fourth of what it would be with 5-minute exams.
“This is a veiled form of martial law. It’s a curfew imposed on people, and they’re trying to make it sound appealing by presenting it as a 20-minute exam for each patient.”
Dokuzoğuz added that they expect examination times to return to previous levels, saying, “We wish it weren’t so, but we are certain of it.”
Longstanding demands
Doctors have long demanded increased examination times, Dokuzoğuz said, adding, “Those who have not heard the demands made by physicians for years are now making this regulation for a war organization.”
A minimum 20 minutes of time for examinations is a “scientific and professional necessity, not a political privilege,” he added.
Patients’ inability to find appointments has been a longstanding issue in Turkey, which continues despite 5 to 10 minutes of average examination times depending on the department.
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Dokuzoğuz argued that the patient-physician relationship has been compressed into short consultations due to patient density, capacity issues caused by closed state hospitals, and the lack of a tiered healthcare system. He added that this situation leads to unnecessary repeated tests, disrupts patient treatment processes, and forces patients to apply to healthcare institutions repeatedly.
No official statement has been made on the matter yet. In the online Central Physician Appointment System (MHRS) of the Health Ministry, examination times still appear as 10 minutes for many departments in Ankara and other cities.
Cosmetic preparations
Authorities are also making cosmetic arrangements in the city ahead of the summit schedule for Jul 7-8, which 32 world leaders will attend.
Defects on the roads where the convoys of NATO countries will pass are being fixed, and roads, bridges, and the facades of residential buildings along the route are being painted.
In addition, many main arteries in the city will be closed to traffic during the summit and will only serve country delegations.
The Etimesgut Airport routes, the Söğütözü Neighborhood where the Presidential Complex is located, the surroundings of the hotels where the leaders will stay, and their transit routes will be considered sensitive areas, where no one except authorized personnel will be allowed to enter. (VK)
Source: BIANET
