Turkey categorizes pandemics as ‘emergency situations’

ANKARA

Turkey added pandemics to the list of the country’s emergency situations, according to a communique published in the Official Gazette on April 9.

“Emergency situations include incidents which require medical response within the first 24 hours after a sudden illness, accident, traumatization or similar situations, and where urgent medical intervention cannot be carried out or where life and/or the entirety of life is at risk of losing in the event of referral to another health institution, and diagnoses and treatments regarding the pandemic during the pandemic,” read the communique.

Immune plasma therapy, which involves using the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients to treat those infected with the virus, was also added.

With the pandemics added to the emergency situations list, private hospitals will not be able to demand any fee neither for medical examination nor additional costs.

Furthermore, patients who are under treatment due to the novel coronavirus pandemic will be able to receive their medications at hospitals.