In the video message he sent to the High-Level Meeting on Health and Migration in the European Region, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan drew attention to the fact that refugees have been disregarded and marginalised in many countries due to the pandemic, and said, “We have ensured that everyone, without exception, has access to healthcare services, without making distinctions between the refugees we host in our country and our own citizens.”
Stating that potential investments in migrant health will be the sustaining force for resilient, inclusive, harmonious and equitable societies, President Erdoğan said, “It is impossible to achieve sustainable development goals and universal health coverage in a world that ignores the health of refugees.”
President Erdoğan, in his video message to the High-Level Meeting on Health and Migration in the European Region, organised in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry of Health, wished the meeting to be successful and auspicious for the participating countries, peoples and all humanity. In his message, President Erdoğan said, “I am very pleased to host you in our beautiful İstanbul, the meeting point of continents, on the occasion of this important meeting.” and thanked all institutions and organisations that supported the organisation of the meeting. Stating that although the coronavirus pandemic, which has shaken everyone deeply for the last two years, had been alleviated somewhat with the vaccine, it continues to impact the world with new variants, President Erdoğan emphasised that countries with relatively weak healthcare infrastructure and economic capacity are more severely affected by the problems caused by the pandemic.
President Erdoğan said, "The harm inflicted by the pandemic, especially in the most vulnerable parts of society, has reached very severe dimensions. Refugees and irregular migrants who have been forced to flee their countries are undoubtedly at the top of the list. Refugees, who are already struggling to survive in harsh conditions in the countries they have fled, have been disregarded, marginalised, and even discriminated against due to the pandemic. The right of refugees to access basic healthcare services, which is severely restricted in many countries, has unfortunately been hampered as a result of this process."
"We have ensured that the refugees we are hosting have access to healthcare services without exception"
In this critical period, when humanity and human values are being put to a great test, President Erdoğan underscored that Türkiye will not hesitate to share all of its means with those in need while still providing world-class healthcare services to its citizens. Stating that they provided medical equipment and critical material support to 160 countries and 12 international organisations that requested help from Türkiye during the worst days of the pandemic, President Erdoğan went on to say:
"We have ensured that everyone, without exception, has access to healthcare services without making distinctions between the refugees we host in our country and our own citizens. From the first day, we have applied the United Nations' principle of "Leave No One Behind" with sensitivity. To date, we have provided 3.1 million inpatient treatment services to our Syrian brothers and sisters, as well as 96.7 million outpatient services through our healthcare facilities. We have performed 2.6 million surgeries and administered a total of 8.7 million vaccine doses in our hospitals under our national vaccination rollout scheme. We have launched 185 Migrant Health Centers in 29 provinces with the support of relevant international organisations to expand access to basic and preventive healthcare services by overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers. We have extended our helping hand to the 5 million oppressed Syrians living in deplorable conditions just beyond our borders.
“We hope that inequalities in the global system, particularly in health and security, can be eliminated as soon as possible”
Reminding that they will donate vaccines beginning with the areas hardest hit by the pandemic, President Erdoğan said: “We are gradually delivering the 15 million doses of vaccines pledged during the 3rd Türkiye-Africa Partnership Summit to our African brothers. Meanwhile, we are trying to meet the demands for our domestic vaccine, TURKOVAC, as much as we can.”
Expressing that they could see that the pandemic once again exposed the injustices and flaws in the global system, President Erdoğan noted:
“It is critical that we avoid the dramatic incidents that have occurred in many countries during the last two years. We hope that inequalities in the global system, particularly in health and security, can be eliminated as soon as possible. For a more peaceful, more stable and fairer world, it is clear that we need to learn from our mistakes and tackle problems with courage. Potential investments in refugee and migrant health will be a sustaining force for resilient, inclusive, compliant and equitable societies. It is impossible to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health Coverage in a world that ignores the health of refugees and migrants. This is why I value the World Health Organization’s efforts to develop a new action plan on migration and health in the European Region. I hope that this meeting, which is taking place in an environment where 3 million people have been added to the 85 million refugees in only three weeks, will pave the way for fresh ideas and new solution proposals to this issue.”