Are Bursa Health Workers a Stepchild?

Bursa Medical Chamber announced that BURULAŞ, which is an affiliate of the Metropolitan Municipality, did not implement the decision published in the Official Gazette, which was published in the Official Gazette, that healthcare workers could benefit from public transportation free of charge until the end of the year.

CHP Bursa Deputy and Party Assembly Member Orhan Sarbal, criticizing the practice, said, “Bursa Metropolitan Municipality is practically hampering healthcare workers in their business life that continues like persecution. Just like the water bills, the double different treatment applied to the people of Bursa before is now applied to the healthcare professionals. Healthcare workers' right to public transportation ended in Bursa as of September. What kind of conscience is this? " said.

According to the decision published in the Official Gazette with the signature of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 28 August 2020, the right of the personnel working in all public and private health institutions and organizations providing health services within the scope of measures to prevent the spread of the new type of coronavirus epidemic, free transportation and access to public social facilities was extended. This right granted to healthcare workers in Bursa is not implemented by Bursa Transportation Public Transport Management (BURULAŞ) on the grounds that there is no council decision.

According to the statement of the Bursa Medical Chamber, Bursa Medical Chamber President Assoc. Dr. Alpaslan Türkkan wrote to BURULAŞ on September 14, 2020 and asked about the issue. On October 2, 2020, Türkkan's letter was answered with the signature of General Manager Mehmet Kürşat Çapar. In the reply letter, “There is no parliamentary decision reaching us regarding the right to free travel for our healthcare professionals. The issue is on the agenda of our senior management, and in case any change is made, we kindly request you to announce it from all our media organs ”.

CHP Bursa Deputy and Party Assembly Member Orhan Sarıbal, who reacted to the practice, asked why this right, which was given to health workers in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, was not given in Bursa. Sarıbal said, “We are very curious about the reason for this step-child treatment in Bursa. In an environment where health workers who are fighting at the expense of their lives are getting exhausted, is this treatment reva? What is the difference between the health workers in Bursa and those in Istanbul? All of them are putting their lives on their teeth for public health.

From the days of the coronavirus epidemic to the present day, 47 of the health workers, 107 of whom were physicians, who worked for the health of the public under very difficult conditions, lost their lives. BURULAŞ's decision should be questioned first as a conscientious and then as a humanitarian, while the pain of the lost lives and the young doctors who are lost is very fresh. I would like the very valuable Bursa Medical Chamber and its valuable members to know that I am with all the health workers in Bursa in their struggle”. – Bursadatoday