Health and Social Service Workers' Union (SES) Hakkari Branch President Remzi Özer said that infectious diseases among infants and children have increased recently, and that the rate of application to the paediatric outpatient clinic is very high. However, he added, the health team is insufficient.

Due to the increasing number of infectious diseases among children in Van and Hakkari in recent years, the density of the outpatient clinics and emergency services of their hospitals is increasing.

Nearly 50 doctors have resigned in recent months. No new doctor appointments were made.

Remzi Özer, Head of SES Hakkari Branch, said that the rate of application to the paediatric outpatient clinic is very high.

Stating that there is a shortage of paediatricians, Özer said that in a city like Hakkari, there are currently just three paediatricians in the hospital.

Emphasizing that each doctor reaches the maximum number of patients, Özer said: “Every doctor sees more than 100 patients a day. Since the appointments are made monthly through the system, they can happen after a long wait. For example, if I request an appointment right now, I can actually have it 20-25 days later. Due to the coronavirus epidemic conditions, working with an appointment sometimes makes patients victims. Added to these problems is the contagious diseases that have spread among children and babies in the last period, increasing the need to go to hospital even more. Significant urinary tract infections are seen in children and there are diseases that develop due to sudden changes in weather conditions. The number of polyclinics has increased in the emergency department. Currently, there are 3 polyclinics in Hakkari. Some outpatient clinics work with normal queue examinations apart from appointments.”