Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu said, "Health is the greatest wealth of man. Protecting this wealth is possible not only by treating diseases but also by preventing the risks that cause diseases before they occur. With this understanding, we continue our fight against habits that threaten public health with determination." he said.
Minister Memişoğlu, in his speech at the opening ceremony of Alaplı State Hospital and Karadeniz Ereğli Oral and Dental Health Center in Zonguldak, said that under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, they have achieved great developments in health in the last quarter century. Stating that they have implemented important works of this development in Zonguldak, and that they have built 15 new hospitals and 17 new health centers, especially Atatürk and Ereğli State hospitals with 400 beds each, since 2002, Memişoğlu stated that they increased the total bed capacity in Zonguldak to 2 thousand 335, and added more than 680 physicians and 163 new health personnel to the city in the last 2 years alone.
Minister Memişoğlu stated that they provide complete service in all branches in Zonguldak and that they have successfully carried out advanced technology diagnosis and treatment applications in the city.
"HEALTH LIFE BEGINS IN LIFE"
Mentioning that they brought new works to the city and Türkiye with the support of citizens under the leadership of President Erdoğan, Memişoğlu said that the construction of 7 new health facilities, from family health centers to 112 Emergency Health stations, is continuing in Zonguldak Center, Kozlu, Çaycuma, Alaplı and Ereğli districts.
Memişoğlu stated that investments in a 150-bed hospital in the center of Zonguldak and a 25-bed hospital in Kilimli district are continuing, and that when all the works with other investments are completed, they will bring 15 more new health facilities to the city.
"Healthy living begins within life." Memişoğlu said, emphasizing that everyone has a responsibility in the fight against overweight, inactivity and tobacco addiction, and that movement should be made a part of daily life.
Minister Memişoğlu said, "While taking care of our own health, we must also teach our children the right habits. Health is the greatest wealth of man. Protecting this wealth is possible not only by treating diseases but also by preventing the risks that cause diseases before they occur. With this understanding, we must continue our fight against habits that threaten public health with determination." he said.
"FIGHT AGAINST TOBACCO IS A PROBLEM FOR EVERYONE OF US"
Emphasizing that the fight against tobacco is not only a matter for smokers, but for everyone, Memişoğlu continued as follows: "Because tobacco costs the lives of more than 100 thousand people every year. Today, unfortunately, Turkey ranks second in the world in terms of smoking rate. Unfortunately, 1 in every 3 people in our country, 33 percent of our population, uses tobacco. Unfortunately, we are in the first place in the world in terms of the incidence of lung cancer in men. Another important issue is the age at which our children are introduced to smoking. More than half of the tobacco users in Türkiye are this." They started the habit before the age of 18. 73.3 percent of children aged 13-15 can buy cigarettes without age verification. Unfortunately, we are faced with new products such as electronic cigarettes and puffs. These are said to be less harmful, but I would like to emphasize that these products also carry serious health risks. We want to protect our children from this danger once again. I want it."
Memişoğlu noted that, according to a Green Crescent research, 90 percent of citizens support this system and 80 percent of smokers want to get rid of this disease.
Pointing out that tobacco reduces the quality of life and increases the risk of many life-threatening diseases, especially cancer and heart attack, Memişoğlu said, "Sometimes it is said, 'Nothing will happen to me.' Sometimes it is postponed by saying, 'I will quit this one day.' From here, I say clearly, there is no profit after it is too late. Today, we provide services all over our country with our 1910 Smoking Cessation Polyclinic. Online polyclinic service via MHRS." We provide drugs used in smoking cessation treatment to our citizens, free of charge, as deemed appropriate by our physicians." he said.
Minister Memişoğlu stated that they support every citizen who wants to get rid of this addiction, regardless of whether they have social security or not, and emphasized that they are one of the rare countries in the world that offer smoking cessation services completely free of charge.
Stating that the ALO 171 Smoking Cessation Advisory Line, which operates 7 days a week, also offers guidance and follow-up support to citizens, and that those who want to quit smoking can apply to the Smoking Cessation Polyclinics or call ALO 171, Memişoğlu said that they can carry out this process together with medication support and the guidance of experts. Memişoğlu emphasized that the fight against tobacco is not only the struggle of the state or the Ministry of Health, but that it is the responsibility of everyone as a society, and that families, educators, non-governmental organizations and tradesmen should act collectively, and that protecting children is a requirement of the common conscience of this society.
Stating that 150 billion branded cigarettes will be sold in Türkiye in 2024, Memişoğlu said, "This figure clearly shows why the struggle should be carried out more determinedly and together. Here, I call out once again to our citizens who smoke. Come, make a promise to yourself today. Say 'I will not smoke anymore. I promise both myself and my Ministry'. We will be with you in this decision until the end." he said.
Underlining that they were with the citizens before they got sick and that they were the Ministry of Health, not the disease, Memişoğlu stated that they wanted the citizens to consult their family physicians first because they knew them very well. Memişoğlu stated that today family physicians personally call and monitor patients with diabetes and blood pressure, as well as those with asthma and heart disease, and stated that they can make direct appointments to all specialist physicians in hospitals on behalf of their patients.
Minister Memişoğlu explained that family physicians can share instant information with specialist physicians via digital infrastructure, and said that family physicians can carry out many processes, from prescribing medications started by specialist physicians to home health service reports and renewing existing reports.
"WE ARE WORKING TO DEVELOP OUR OWN MEDICINE, VACCINE AND MEDICAL DEVICE"
Stating that they want to move the strong health infrastructure further with science and production, Memişoğlu said:
"We bring together the knowledge of our physicians, the labor of our engineers and the production power of our industrialists in common goals. We are working to develop our own medicine, vaccine and medical device. We call it 'Producing Health from Idea to Product'. We find the projects developed by our Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, from new drug molecule studies for cancer treatment to innovative detection systems that can detect viruses in the air, very valuable. We wholeheartedly support these pioneering research put forward in cooperation with our faculties of medicine, pharmacy and engineering. We want Zonguldak to heal our people with its scientific studies and technological production as well as qualified health services. We support our researchers and industrialists through TÜSEB. We want innovative studies to turn into a concrete product that benefits our people. I invite everyone who has a new idea, a new project or production opportunity in the field of health to work together. Let's put Turkey's signature on the health technologies of the future together.
Stating that Alaplı State Hospital, which they opened, provides qualified health services to citizens with 50 patient beds, 16 polyclinics, operating rooms and intensive care beds, Memişoğlu noted that Ereğli Oral and Dental Health Center strengthens oral and dental health services in the district with 30 dental units.
Minister Memişoğlu explained that specialist physicians provide services in different fields from children's dental health to the treatment of gum diseases at the center, and that these works facilitate the access of citizens living in Alaplı and Ereğli to health services, and wished success and ease in their duties to all healthcare professionals working in healthcare facilities.
AK Party Zonguldak Deputy Saffet Bozkurt said that investments mean that citizens have easier access to health services, receive quality health services and increase their living standards.
Governor Osman Hacıbektaşoğlu stated that the facilities they opened are a great gain for their districts and stated that these investments include protective and preventive health services as well as the treatment of diseases.
After the speeches, Minister Memişoğlu and accompanying protocol members visited the health investments, where they cut the opening ribbon. Meanwhile, Minister Memişoğlu made a video connection during the ribbon cutting and simultaneously opened the Oral and Dental Health Center in Karadeniz Ereğli district.
AK Party Zonguldak MPs Muammer Avcı and Ahmet Çolakoğlu, Public Hospitals General Manager Muhammed Emin Demirkol, Health Investments General Manager Adem Yılmaz, AK Party Provincial Chairman Mustafa Çağlayan and the city protocol attended the ceremony. Minister Memişoğlu then visited Zonguldak Governorship.
