The Invisible War in North Kurdistan-Kristiina Koivunen

The right to healthy living is an essential and non-transferrable basic human right which is guaranteed by our constitution. The utilisation of our health care services by every citizen when he/she needs them, the elimination of regional inequalities, and recognising and raising the health level of our people are some of our basic aims.

2015

Professional independence is one of the most fundamental guarantees in medical practice. It is vitally important to take medical decisions free from the influence of any power and to perform our profession by matching the needs of patients with opportunities that the science of medicine offers. In periods of armed conflict, parties involved may target health workers, services and facilities. During the period of conflict following 20 July 2015, a doctor, a nurse and an ambulance driver were killed, and a nurse and a health technician were injured. Unfortunately, the conflict environment created in recent months and security policies followed make it impossible to deliver quality health services. Working conditions of health workers as well as access of people to health services are both adversely affected by these circumstances. The Turkish Medical Association conducted the present survey in order to expose and document the state of doctors and other health workers, health services and facilities and problems faced in this context. On behalf of Turkish Medical Association my sincere thanks are due to health workers who committedly keep extending services in conflict environments, the survey team that planned and conducted the present study, and to our colleagues who collected relevant data with extraordinary efforts.

I offer the Turkish society a simple solution. We demand a democratic nation. We are not oppo sed to the unitary state and republic. We accept the republic, its unitary structure and laicism. However, we believe that it must be redefined as a democratic state respecting peoples, cul tures and rights. On this basis, the Kurds must be free to organize in a way that they can live their culture and language and can develop eco nomically and ecologically. This would allow Kurds, Turks and other cultures to come together under the roof of a democratic nation in Turkey. This is only possible, though, with a democra tic constitution and an advanced legal frame work warranting respect for different cultures.

WAR, MIGRATION AND HEALTH: EXPERIENCE OF TURKEY, 2016

Civil war continuing in Syria since 2010 displaced millions of people and led to a serious population movement. Many Syrians fleeing conflict in their country rushed to Turkey as the closest border country. Refugees arriving in waves now constitute over 3 per cent of Turkey’s population. Displacement as a result of armed conflict is beyond doubt is the worst form of migration. Can we talk about the “health” of people whose lives have been utterly upset, who had to leave all their assets back, suffering maltreatment and losses in their long journey? In an environment where even minimum living standards are denied, absence of health is unfortunately what can be expected. This humanitarian crisis coincided with a period in which Turkey made her preference for a market-oriented health system abandoning community-oriented approach through first level health facilities. Consequently we witnessed the insufficiency of response by the existing health system in the face of unexpected influx of refugees. It should not go without saying that individual fforts of health professionals and initiatives by civil society have gained critical function in these circumstances. This book seeks to expose the state of Syrian refugees in Turkey. We hope this document to contribute to efforts to bring solutions to the problems of refugees who presently live in extremely unfavourable circumstances. Our thanks are due to the Public Health Branch that managed this collection within a very short period of time and to all who made their contributions. Hoping a world without wars where people can live in peace and well-being… Turkish Medical Association Central Council TURKISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION PUBLICATIONS- 2016

Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance, 2016

Terrorism and Political Violence, 2011

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