Health minister invites Greek doctors to work in Turkey

ISTANBUL

Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu invites 7,000 Greek doctors to work in Turkey. AA Photo

Turkey is ready to welcome Greek doctors who are reportedly seeking jobs abroad, Health Minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu said Oct. 27, Doğan News Agency has reported.“Some 7,000 doctors in Greece are seeking jobs abroad. And we need them. [Turkey’s] doors are open to Greece’s 7,000 doctors. I invite them to serve this country and nation with their knowledge,” Müezzinoğlu said.“Turkey used to take Greece as an example,” Müezzinoğlu said. “But since 2002, Turkey has begun to achieve far and far beyond what Greece succeeded [at doing].”A total of 24 Greek doctors are currently working in private hospitals in Turkey, said Health Ministry Health Services Department General Manager İrfan Şencan, according to Anadolu Agency.“The medical education in Greece is close to Turkey’s standards. The private sector’s needs can be met by doctors who come from Greece,” Şencan told Anadolu Agency today.“Foreigner doctors can get the equivalence from YÖK with the condition of working in the private sector. Turkish citizenship is a must to become public servant. This is why they cannot work in public hospitals. Besides, they have to pass a Turkish language test within a year. Greek-citizen doctors can start working in our country within the framework of these laws,” said Şencan.A statutory decree issued Oct. 2, 2011, permitted the employment of foreign doctors and nurses in Turkey, as new regulations on the working conditions were approved in 2012.The regulations require foreign doctors to obtain a residence and a work permit, vocational liability insurance, as well as a certificate of equivalence from relevant state offices to demonstrate that their diplomas and other documents of expertise are in line with Turkish university standards.Foreign doctors are obliged to receive a minimum score of “B” from Turkish language tests administered by universities’ Turkish Teaching Application and Research Centers (TÖMER) in accordance with criteria set forth by the European Language Portfolio.The regulations are valid for all foreign health workers except dentists, pharmacists, midwives and nurses, according to reports.