Gov’t to restructure chambers, including medical associations

ANKARA

Turkey must restructure professional chambers, including the medical associations, such as the law on bar associations, to allow them to split into smaller groups, said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 14.

Speaking during the parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Erdoğan said that works should be carried out to restructure professional chambers and associations in order for them to function properly.

“Since when those who are living in terror’s pocket can lead such an important association like the Turkish Medical Association [TTB]? Dear friends, this is not called a democratic approach. It is a matter of terrorist organizations seizing non-governmental organizations [NGOs],” Erdoğan stated.

“Are we going to hand over our patients to these people? How will we look for cures? Can this be expected from a terrorist,” he added.

Underlining that the problems of professional associations have become “intolerable,” the president also said that these associations were in clear violation of the Constitution.

“The problems of professional associations, especially the TTB, have reached an intolerable level. These associations, such as the TTB, are in violation of the Constitution,” he said.

“Above all, the administrations of these professional associations are far away from representing the members of the associations,” he added.

Erdoğan also said that the works that the Turkish government has carried out for the bar associations must also be applied to the TTB and other professional operations.

“I believe that we, as the People’s Alliance, will carry out these works in a successful manner,” he said.

In July, the Turkish Parliament passed a law allowing the country’s bar associations to split into smaller groups.

Ruling AKP and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which formed the People’s Alliance in 2018, backed the law while all other opposition parties have opposed it.

Under the law, bar associations that have more than 5,000 members can split into other bar associations as long as they have at least 2,000 lawyers as members.