Doctors call on the minister of health and the government to resign

Medical organizations of Northern Cyprus issued a harsh statement accusing the Ministry of Health and the government of destroying the public healthcare system. Doctors stated that the current policy “destroys infrastructure, drives medical professionals away, and deprives the population of quality medical care.”

The joint statement was published by the Turkish Cypriot Doctors’ Union, the Turkish Cypriot Medical Chamber, and the Turkish Cypriot Dental Chamber. It described the so-called “full-time system” as a populist measure aimed at concealing a deep structural crisis in healthcare.

According to the doctors, public healthcare should be governed not by slogans, but by planning and evidence-based policy. The authors accused the authorities of failing to complete the construction of hospitals in Kyrenia and Güzelyurt, as well as of lacking any real expansion of healthcare capacity.

It is separately emphasized that unequal conditions are being created within the system for doctors performing the same work, while payments for additional workload are delayed for up to six months. The statement notes that without decent conditions for doctors, the state will be forced to spend even more funds on treating patients abroad.

The medical organizations demanded:

• strengthening primary healthcare;
• eliminating infrastructure problems;
• fair regulation of the rights of healthcare workers.

The statement contains a direct call for the resignation of the minister of health and the government. Doctors said that the current authorities are incapable of ensuring accessible and high-quality medical care.

In addition, medical workers were urged to hang black flags on hospital buildings and wear black ribbons as a sign of protest.

“We will not allow public health to be sacrificed to populism. You are unable to govern and are destroying public healthcare. Resign immediately,” the statement says.