Kemal Memişoğlu

The Turkish Health Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) will jointly organize an earthquake conference in Istanbul next February, with 28 countries expected to participate, according to a WHO official.

A total of 37 people has died in Istanbul from alcohol poisoning linked to counterfeit liquor since Nov. 1, the governor's office announced on Nov. 16.

Over the past six weeks, some 73 individuals were hospitalized after consuming tainted alcohol in the city, with 17 currently undergoing treatment, the statement said.

With New Year's Eve approaching, concerns are mounting across Istanbul as counterfeit alcohol cases rise, resulting in seven fatalities reported so far.

As eight individuals receive medical treatment in hospitals, police have launched an investigation, detaining 12 suspects following operations at various locations, including entertainment venues.

The Health Ministry has announced plans to repeat all inspections on intensive care units for newborns and to rebuild the country's audit system "from scratch" after investigations uncovered systemic malpractice in some hospitals.

The condition of those injured in last week's deadly terror attack in the capital Ankara is showing signs of improvement, Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said on Oct. 30.

"The general condition of our wounded is good at the moment," Memişoğlu told reporters at the parliament.

The Turkish parliament has formed a commission of inquiry to investigate a health care scandal involving the deaths of newborns that are linked to fraudulent admissions to intensive care units.

The case centers on a scheme that allegedly exploited the country's social security system through fraudulent admissions of infants into intensive care units.

Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu has announced sweeping reforms targeting private hospitals amid a scandal involving the deaths of newborns, which has sparked public outrage in the country.

Details emerged on Oct. 20 regarding a criminal network that illicitly placed newborns into intensive care units for financial gain, including an organizational chart of the scheme, with the justice minister revealing that the investigation continued to deepen. 

Two out of every 100 higher education graduates from Türkiye pursued their careers abroad in 2023, with molecular biology and genetics graduates leading the brain drain, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said on Sept. 26.

Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz has announced the launch of an action plan to combat gambling and digital addiction in schools.

The initiative will address addiction to gambling, the internet, smartphones and video games, Yılmaz said during a meeting of a board convened under the Health Ministry on Sept. 10.