Turkey country assessment

Mental Health

5.149 According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence Project Atlas (updated 2003) the country has disability benefits for persons with mental disorders. “After being approved by a mental health board as a chronic mental health patient, the patient can benefit from the social security services.” Mental health is part of the primary health care system. Actual treatment of severe mental health is available at the primary level. “Mental health in primary care is available in only some provinces.” Regular training of primary care professional in the field of mental health is present and the approximate number of personnel trained over the last two years totalled 3,000. [37b] (p1)
5.150 The WHO Project Atlas (updated 2003) further states that there are 1.3 psychiatric beds per 10,000 population, and one psychiatrist, one neurosurgeon, one neurologist, one psychologist and one social worker per 100,000 population. [37b] (p1-2)
5.151 The Foreign and Commonwealth Office contacted Hacettepe University Hospital Psychiatric Department in April 2002 and confirmed that antipsychotic and antidepressant medication is available in Turkey. [4b]
5.152 According to the WHO Project Atlas (updated 2003) “The following therapeutic drugs are generally available at the primary health care level:

carbamazepine,

ethosuximide,

phenobarbital,

phenytoin

sodium,

sodium valproate,

amitriptyline,

chlorpromazine,

diazepam,

fluphenazine,

haloperidol,

lithium,

biperiden,

carbidopa,

and levodopa.” [37b]

5.153 The WHO Project Atlas (updated 2003) continues
“The mental health department was established within the Ministry of Health in 1983 with the primary tasks of improving mental health services, development and dissemination of preventive mental health services, integration of mental health with primary care, community education and protection of the community from harmful behaviours. The means of achieving these aims were through determination of standards, training programmes, data collection, research, creation of counselling and guiding units, creation of psychiatric clinics in state hospitals, assigning proper tasks to personnel, developing rehabilitation facilities, carrying out public education through the help of media, educating the public on harmful behaviour, and taking care of those who succumb to those behaviours.” [37b]

HIV/AIDS

5.154 The United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS reported in December 2003 that “At the end of 2002, Turkey had a cumulative total of 1,515 reported HIV/AIDS cases. 1.98% are among children under 15 and 33% are among women…To ensure blood safety, commercial blood donation has been fully abolished. The government ensures that all HIV infected patients receive antiretroviral treatment.” [39]
5.155 In December 2001 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office contacted Hacetepe University, Ankara, which provides world-standard treatment for HIV and AIDS. The University confirmed that such drugs such as thyroxine, sequinavir, D4T, 3TC, acyclovir, zirtek, diflucon and metoclopramide, or their substitutes, are available in Turkey. [4a]

People with Disabilities
5.156 The Turkish Daily News reported in December 2003 that according to a survey carried out by the Turkish Institute of Statistics and the State Planning Organisation disabled people in Turkey number nearly 8.5 million which, equates to 12.29% of the population. [23h] Another article in December 2003 stated that Turkey has a large physically handicapped population estimated to be around 500,000. Ten to 15 people are injured every day in traffic accidents alone. Turkey has 14 physical rehabilitation centres with a total bed capacity of 1,931, an increase on the 1,295 beds available in 2002. [23j]
5.157 The article further reported that “The Ministry of Health is constructing two further hospitals each with an extra 100-bed capacity. However, the Chairman of the Physically Handicapped in Turkey Association stated that the current rehabilitation centres were not providing qualified services and only some centres in Istanbul, Ankara and Kastamonu were providing satisfactory services for the physically handicapped.” [23j]
5.158 The USSD 2004 reported that “
“There was no discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment, education, access to health care, or in the provision of other state services, although they did suffer from a lack of economic opportunity. The law does not mandate access to buildings and public transportation for persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities have some privileges, such as the right to purchase products of State economic enterprises at a discount or acquire them at no cost… Companies with more than 50 employees were required to hire persons with disabilities as 2 percent of their employee pool, although the requirement was not consistently enforced. “ [5c] (Section 5)
5.159 The European Commission 2004 reported that “As regards the rights of disabled people, in July 2004 a circular was issued stating that at least 3% of the staff in public institutions with more than 50 employees should be disabled and/or ex-convicts. According to official sources, there has been a significant increase in the recruitment of disabled persons since last year. However, Turkey has still not accepted Article 15 of the European Social Charter on the rights of disabled persons.” [71c] (p46)
5.160 The Freedom House report ‘Countries at the Crossroads 2005 – Turkey, published in December 2004 noted that:
The interests of people with disabilities are addressed by the High Council of Disabilities, which brings public officials together with nongovernmental groups. The council has admirable aims and even conducted a thorough survey of people with disabilities in 2002 in order to address problems better. Nevertheless, the needs of such people continue to exceed the limited services provided.” [62c] (p4)
Educational System
5.161 The USSD 2004 reported that:
“Government-provided education through age 14 or the eighth grade is compulsory. Traditional family values in rural areas placed a greater emphasis on education for sons than for daughters. According to the Ministry of Education, 95.7 percent of girls and 100 percent of boys in the country attended primary school; however, a UNICEF report released during the year indicated that, in the rural areas of some provinces, over 50 percent of girls between 7 and 13 and over 60 percent of girls between 11 and 15 did not attend school.” [5c] (Section 5)

5.162 On 22 February 2005 the Guardian reported that:
“The Turkish government is paying families to "encourage" them to send their daughters to school, as part of its efforts to bring the number of girls in education into line with European standards. More than half of Turkey's young female population has no schooling, according to the United Nations children's fund, Unicef…Girls and women account for the vast majority of the 7 million people believed to be illiterate in the predominantly Muslim state. Under Turkey's education minister, Huseyin Celik, this inequity has begun to be addressed. With the help of Unicef, some 140,000 girls aged between seven and 13 have been enrolled at school over the past 18 months. The campaign, which started in 10 towns, expanded into 53 of Turkey's 81 provinces last year. “ [38a]
5.163 The Guardian further reported that for the first time last year [2004], Turkey spent more on education than defence, allocating £5.5bn to the sector. [38a]


6. Human Rights


6a. Human Rights Issues