President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wrote a letter addressed to healthcare professionals on the occasion of March 14 Doctors’ Day.
President Erdoğan wrote the first letter of the digital letter campaign organized by Lütfen Platformu (the Please Platform), which was established to raise awareness on social issues, with the slogan 'Let's Write a Letter for Those Who Make History' for healthcare professionals who have served with great sacrifice during the Covid-19 period.
As part of the campaign, which started on March 14 Doctors’ Day and will last until April, anyone who wishes will be able to convey their feelings and opinions to healthcare professionals via http://dijitalmektup.lutfenplatformu.org. Digital letters will be delivered to all healthcare professionals throughout Türkiye.
In his letter, which started with the address "My Dear Brother/Sister", President Erdoğan said, "I greet you and your family with my wholehearted feelings and congratulate your March 14 Doctors’ Day. I wish the Doctors’ Day to be auspicious for our healthcare professionals. I would like to express my gratitude to you and all your colleagues for the services to our nation and to all humanity."
Emphasizing that healthcare professionals performed a respectable duty that directly touches human life, where knowledge, effort and abilities are coupled with sacrifice, President Erdoğan stated that they regarded March 14 as a means of paying the debt of loyalty and gratitude to healthcare professionals.
Pointing out that throughout history, the healthcare organization, which rushed to help the nation at the expense of their lives when necessary, was also at the forefront of the hard struggle against the coronavirus pandemic, President Erdoğan continued as follows:
"Healthcare professionals, who were not able to go home for weeks, hug their children and beloved ones, worked day and night to heal our citizens as quickly as possible. Your self-devotion and efforts play a critical role in Türkiye's fight against coronavirus, which is shown as an example all around the world. Throughout this period, we mobilized all available means to relieve the burden on your shoulders, ease your working conditions and meet your needs. In addition to enormous investments made in the healthcare infrastructure over the past 18 years, we brought into use 25 new healthcare facilities and 11 additional service buildings, which have a total of 16-thousand bed-capacity. We recognize that our fight against coronavirus, which took approximately 30 thousand lives from us up to now, is not over yet. We need to continue to work hand in hand until the pandemic threat goes away. While taking steps of the "new normal" period, on the one hand, we undertake initiatives to keep our healthcare system running on the other hand. On every occasion, I express that I expect from my citizens to support you by obeying mask, distance and hygiene rules."
While conveying his gratitude to healthcare professionals for serving with their hearts and souls amid the biggest health disaster over the past century, President Erdoğan noted the following:
"I once again wish Allah's mercy on your colleagues who lost their lives during the fight against pandemic and patience for their families. We will continue to provide moral and material support to you and stand by you, as we have done so far. With these thoughts, I congratulate your and your families' March 14 Doctors’ Day with my heartfelt feelings and wish you healthy, peaceful and happy days."