ISTANBUL (A.A) - Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz has said that social security field was one of the most politically abused field in Turkey.
Yilmaz attended the opening ceremony of ten new hospitals built by the Social Security Institution (SSK) at Istanbul's Conrad Hotel.
Speaking at the ceremony, Yilmaz said that the SSK which was claimed to be ''on the brink of bankruptcy'' was today opening ten new hospitals using its own resources. He said that this was a very pleasing development especially considering the economic crisis.
''There is no other field in Turkey which was politically abused as much as social security. There were even times in which certain groups affected the results of elections by giving promises about social security,'' Yilmaz commented.
Labour and Social Security Minister Yasar Okuyan said on Saturday that the Social Security Agency (SSK) increased the bed capacity in hospitals by 1,915 with the ten new hospitals, and that this meant more than six percent of additional bed capacity.
The new hospitals opened at the same time by the satellite communication system.
Labour and Social Security Minister Okuyan reminded that July 6 was also the 56th foundation anniversary of the SSK, stressing the importance of ten new hospitals at the same time.
Noting that the hospitals cost 64 trillion liras, Okuyan said that SSK serves 36 million people in 24 hours a day, adding that ''solving the problems of SSK, means solving the medical and social security problems of more than 55 percent of our people.'' Okuyan pointed out that SSK has 3.6 million pensioners and 6.2 million employees today, adding that SSK has 55,000 personnel working in health sector.
Okuyan said that 1,4 million persons had operations by SSK last year and 1 quadrillion liras was paid for medicine.
Referring to the queue in front of hospitals in the past, Okuyan said that 60 percent this problem was solved.
Okuyan said that 28 of the 138 SSK hospitals got Turkish Standards Institute ISO Quality document, adding that only 57 hospitals of 1212 hospitals in Turkey have that certificate.
Here are the names of these hospitals: Buca Seyfi Demirsoy Hospital in Izmir, Bursa Sevket Yilmaz Hastanesi, Yalova Yasar Okuyan Regional Hospital, Bartin Ibrahim Denizciler Hospital, Akhisar Ali Naili Erdem Hospital, Polatli Hayrettin Erkmen Hospital, Aksaray Sahap Karatopcu Hospital, Odemis Halil Kaya Hospital in Izmir, Ordu Nuri Beser Hospital, and Igdir N. Sadik Side Hospital.