The demand of Diyarbakýr Medical Chamber for the use of Kurdish in health services for a better service was rejected by Minister of Health Recep Akdað, who claimed that there was “no need for it”.

Reasoning that the majority of people in Kurdish cities know Turkish, Akdað said; “There is no need for a special arrangement. There are many few people who do not know Turkish, particularly among old people and women. But, there is always someone around to speak Kurdish; hence it is not a problem”.  

Disagreeing with the appointment of Kurdish speaking doctors to the region, Minister Akdað spoke as follows; “In the eastern and southeastern parts of the country, there are more people who need to know Turkish than people who need to know Kurdish. If there are bilingual people, it will surely be more useful. But, there is no need for a special arrangement. The number of people not knowing Turkish is very few, only some elders and women. But, there is always someone around to speak Kurdish; hence it is not a problem”.  

The question concerning the demand of BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) for the distribution of Kurdish brochures in the process of bird flu, was answered by Minister Akdað as follows; “We were asked to distribute Kurdish brochures concerning bird flu but this doesn’t have any practical response. People know how to read and write in Kurdish but not in Turkish! I could understand if they asked for verbal announcements from the municipality building but Kurdish documents are not realistic at all. It is a kind of ideological attitude. We don’t have such a problem now but we can make every effort for not living this problem”.

Translation: Berna Ozgencil