Turkey's investment in health pays off amid pandemic: Communications director

Thanks to Turkey's reforms and investments in the health sector, many people benefited from the health services during the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to the country's communications director.

"The Turkish government provides free universal health care, and made early investments in its health care infrastructure that are paying off now, Fahrettin Altun said in an article he penned for The Washington Times.

In the op-ed titled Turkish Government's Strategy Turns the Tide of COVID-19, Altun said: "Our efforts are turning the tide: The daily growth of new cases recently dropped to the slowest pace since the first case was confirmed in early March, and daily hospital discharges are now far exceeding new cases."

Health investments in Turkey

Altun said some continue to criticize Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claiming that he could not handle the crisis, and he provided some facts proving the opposite.

"The reforms and investments we have made make health care more accessible to more people. Turkey has invested in its health workforce and built new hospitals, with plans underway predating COVID-19 for 10 new hospitals across Turkey's densest urban centers," Altun noted.

He said that as a result of all the investments, Turkey has been safe from the "overwhelming pressure" on its health system, while it "hobbled other countries."

Turkey also ranked among the top five nations worldwide in terms of the number of coronavirus testing, he stressed.

"We recognize that means our infection numbers will be high for a period of time - because there is a direct correlation between more testing and more positive cases, that's no big secret - but there's also no responsible way to get this...