President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a video message to the March 14 Doctors' Day Ceremony of the Ministry of Health.
In his message, President Erdoğan wished March 14 Doctors' Day to be auspicious and used the following expressions: "I extend my wholehearted gratitude to healthcare professionals for their endeavours, efforts, and sacrifices on behalf of my country and my nation. I wish Allah's mercy upon all our brothers and sisters whom we sent off to eternity, including those who lost their lives while performing their duties."
Indicating that humanity was experiencing one of the most severe health disasters of the past century, President Erdoğan continued as follows:
"Coronavirus pandemic, which claimed the lives of 2 million 650 thousand people worldwide up to now, continues to be a global threat. The pandemic once again showed us the wisdom of the quote 'Health is better than wealth'. The period also laid bare how important and essential the investment made to health and healthcare infrastructure is. Praise be to Allah that we did not allow any of the dire scenes in which people were not able to find an ambulance, were turned down from the hospitals, died due to negligence at elderly care homes. During this period, we brought into use 25 healthcare facilities and 11 additional service buildings, including high-capacity city hospitals, to ease your burden. We are among the leading countries throughout the world in vaccination that we started from the riskiest groups. Undoubtedly, the biggest role in this success belongs to our healthcare professionals, who rush to make our people healthy day and night. Like our state and our nation, the people you helped heal will never forget your sacrifice. We are determined to successfully conclude the fight that we have been waging for the past year against the pandemic, which has deeply shaken the whole world."
President Erdoğan emphasized that the fight would continue by obeying mask, distance and hygiene rules, the initials of which are abbreviated as TAMAM, namely 'OKAY' in Turkish, without languor, and noted the following:
"I call on all our citizens to support our healthcare professionals by complying with the measures. Before I end my speech, I once again congratulate March 14 Doctors' Day of our health sector. I present my gratitude to our physicians, nurses and all healthcare professionals working all over our country on behalf of my nation and myself. I entrust you to the safekeeping of Allah. I wish you the best of health."