CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK; ADDS STATEMENTS OF OTHER OFFICIALS, EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Berk Ozkan,Yesim Sert Karaaslan and Mumin Altas
ISTANBUL / ANKARA (AA) – Turkey’s president on Sunday expressed his gratitude for healthcare workers on the occasion of March 14, the nation’s Medicine Day.
"I send greetings to you and your families with my most heartfelt feelings and congratulate you on Medicine Day. I am grateful to you and all your colleagues for your services for our nation and all of humanity," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a letter marking the day, also known as Doctors' Day.
Erdogan's letter is the first piece of a digital letter campaign organized by Lutfen Platformu (the Please Platform), founded to raise awareness of social issues.
The campaign launched with the slogan "Let's write a letter for those who make history," and it aims to convey the feelings and thoughts of the public for healthcare professionals who have served with great devotion amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It will last until April via dijitalmektup.lutfenplatformu.org.
Praising the efforts and sacrifice of healthcare staff during the fight against coronavirus, Erdogan stressed: "Our healthcare professionals – unable to go to their homes for weeks, or hug their children and loved ones – have worked day and night to help our citizens regain their health as soon as possible."
He said their sacrifice and efforts are of very important in Turkey's fight against COVID-19, which set an example worldwide.
Turkey's struggle against the virus is not yet over, Erdogan said, urging people to work together until the threat is completely eliminated.
Erdogan also said Turkey has worked to support the national healthcare system in addition to steps for normalization from the virus.
He praised healthcare workers for serving the nation with heart and soul in the worst public health disaster of the last century.
"I once again wish Allah's mercy upon your colleagues who lost their lives in the fight against the pandemic. As we have done so fa, we will continue to support and stand by you financially and morally," he pledged.
-‘Heavy responsibilities’
Separately, in a message to healthcare workers, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that now the whole world has seen that it is a privilege to be a healthcare worker, especially a physician.
"But the responsibilities we undertake are just as heavy," said Koca in a statement.
The Medicine Day ceremony was held online due to coronavirus this year, which was the declared International Year of Health and Care Workers by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Presidential Communication Director Fahrettin Altun also said Turkey is proud to have one of the world's largest and best-qualified “medical armies.”
In a statement, Altun also voiced prayers to God for healthcare professionals who lost their lives fighting the virus.
