The Minister of Health, Dr Fahrettin Koca addressed the participants at the opening ceremony of the Health Scientific Group of the Turkic Council.
The Leaders' Summit of the Turkic Council, which was attended by the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, agreed to organize a Health Ministers Meeting in April 2020.
In this meeting, which was held on April 28, 2020, the ministers decided to improve the cooperation in the field of health care, particularly in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The vaccine workshop was hosted by Turkey"
Minister Koca referred to the Health Coordination Committee Meeting held on June 8, 2020, and said, "In this meeting, the deputy health ministers agreed to establish a Health Scientific Group, which will convene monthly to enhance cooperation in the field of health care, particularly in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and to exchange knowledge and experience.
In addition, the Supply Chain Group convened on August 6, 2020 to exchange knowledge on the joint supply of drugs, medical devices, and ventilators.
Another important step was the organization of the Vaccine Workshop. The Scientific Board decided to organize a vaccine workshop, which was held in Turkey.
The workshop was held in August on the quarantine island in Urla, Izmir and was attended by scientists from the member states where they discussed vaccine development efforts."
"More than 13 thousand contact-tracing teams are on the move"
Minister Koca noted the importance of digital systems and the Life Fits Home application, which made the lives of people easier.
With regard to contact-tracing, Koca said, "Today, we have more than 13 thousand contact-tracing teams on the move. Each team consists of at least 3 personnel and are provided vehicles."
Adding that Turkey passed the test successfully under the leadership of the President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with a strong health care infrastructure and a dedicated health care work force, Minister Koca continued, "As you know, aside from personal protective equipment, such as masks, overalls, and gloves, we have also produced some drugs and vitally important ventilators here in Turkey. We manifested solidarity by helping out more than 150 countries, including our brotherly countries, with these medical supplies."
"We submitted our proposal for 2021 to be the Year of the Healthcare Worker"
Extending condolences to those who lost their lives due to the pandemic, especially the health care workers, Koca said, "To crown the selfless efforts of our health care workers, we submitted through diplomatic channels our proposal to declare 2021 as the Year of the Healthcare Worker."
The meeting was attended by Zoltan Lorinezi, the State Minister of Hungary, Tsoy Alexey Vladimirovich, the Minister of Health of Kazakhstan, Alisher Shadmanov, the Minister of Health of Uzbekistan, Prof Emine Alp Meşe, the Deputy Minister of Health of Turkey and the Chairperson of the Health Scientific Gorup of the Turkic Council, Dr Hans Kluge, the Regional Director of WHO Europe, Baghdad Amrayev, the Secretary-General of the Turkic Council, Elsever Agayev, the Deputy Minister of Health of Azerbaijan, Alymkadyr Sabirdinovich, the Minister of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic and 60 scientists from the Coronavirus Health Scientific Board, Social Sciences Board, Vaccine Board and TUBITAK Vaccine Project.
© 2025 Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Health All rights reserved.
