As the health system deteriorated with the increase in the workload of health workers and the spread of new diseases in the society, it became impossible to get an appointment from state hospitals at the point reached. Due to the decrease in the number of doctors, the inability to find an appointment and many other reasons, the density in the emergency services of public hospitals reached maximum levels. While citizens' complaints about the health system are increasing, we, as Milli Gazete, listened to the problems of patients and their relatives at Başakşehir Çam Sakura City Hospital.
Citizens, who are struggling with various diseases along with the coronavirus pandemic, have difficulty in getting an appointment from hospitals. The crack that started in the health system with patient-guaranteed city hospitals deepened with the increase in the workload of health workers and the spread of new diseases in the society. The fact that it has become impossible to get an appointment from public hospitals, especially in big cities, has increased the intensity of emergency services to maximum levels. Although the frequency of appointments in the Central Physician Appointment System (MHRS) was reduced to 5 minutes in the last months, the density in public hospitals could not be reduced. On the other hand, as the Milli Gazete, we examined the problems in the health system, which was seriously affected by the decrease in the number of doctors in the public sector with the pandemic, at Başakşehir Çam Sakura City Hospital. The patients and their relatives we met at the City Hospital, which is the largest hospital in Europe, expressed their complaints.
“WE CAN MAKE EVEN AN EYE APPOINTMENT AT A VERY FORWARD DATE”
Citizen Furkan Arslantürk, stating that it is difficult to find an appointment at state hospitals to be examined, “Our hospitals are very beautiful in shape. However, we can make even the slightest eye appointment at a much later date. Good things are being done, but we must speak the truth. I complain a lot about the density in hospitals and the problem of not being able to get an appointment from state hospitals. We were having problems getting an appointment before the city hospitals were opened, and now we are having problems getting an appointment. I hope that the problem of the doctor's appointment that every citizen experiences will be resolved as soon as possible,” he said.
“THE HOSPITALS WERE IN THIS CONDITION BEFORE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC”
Muhammed Aydın, on the other hand, stated that he brought a relative to the emergency room and said, “We cannot find an appointment in state hospitals. We were tired out with the low number of doctors, especially at Başakşehir Çam Sakura City Hospital. I came to the hospital due to a low back problem for myself recently. They are trying to diagnose without taking an x-ray or doing an analysis. The doctor said to me, 'It could be a herniated disc or something else'. I went to another hospital again, the situation is the same there. It has become very difficult to see a doctor by making an appointment anyway. Without the emergency services, we would not see a doctor. Things don't go easy in the emergency department either. We've been waiting in line for 1 hour, I haven't been able to show my patient to the doctor yet. Coronavirus is now being used as an excuse, but hospitals were in this situation before the outbreak of the coronavirus."
“CITY HOSPITALS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CITY”
Cemal Özbakır stated that they could not find an appointment for his wife's illness and that they came to the Emergency Department as a last resort, adding, "My wife is in pain and we have been trying to make an appointment for about 2-3 weeks, but we could not find it. When my wife's condition worsened, we had to come to the emergency room. It wasn't like this before. We were able to make an appointment even 1 day before coming to the hospital. Serious problems in the health system lately started to form. They open city hospitals, but city hospitals have nothing to do with the city. For example, Bursa City Hospital is outside the city, Başakşehir City Hospital is far from many parts of Istanbul. Many people who do not have their own vehicle have to use public transport for hours to get to the hospital," he said.
“WE CANNOT TAKE INTERNAL APPOINTMENT FOR 5 MONTHS”
Stating that his father has been devastated in the emergency services for 5 months, Ersin Aydın said, “Blood comes out of my father's urine. We couldn't get an appointment for my father, who has had the same problem for 5 months. When his condition worsens, we come to the emergency room, they give us an injection, and they send us home by saying 'make an appointment with internal medicine'. However, we have not been able to get an internal medicine appointment for 5 months. We don't know what's wrong with my father. My father has been in pain in the emergency room for 2 hours, but we haven't been able to see the doctor yet. A 75-year-old man has been suffocating for 5 months, perhaps from a terminal illness. Not only my father, but also my wife and children, when they get sick, I'm bringing them to the emergency room. No one can get an appointment.”