PodcastTurkish Health Ministry’s call centers risk workers’ health, don’t offer soap
Employees of the Turkish Health Ministry’s hospital appointment call centers have been suffering from a lack of basic cleaning supplies like soap in their offices around Turkey amid a coronavirus outbreak. Wishing to stay anonymous out of fear for their job, employees have reported they’re not offered soap and paper towels in the offices where thousands of people work.
Hacı Bişkin / DUVAR
Employees at the Turkish Health Ministry’s Central Hospital Appointment Line (MHRS) have been suffering from a lack of basic cleaning supplies in their crowded work environments amid a panic surrounding the coronavirus that’s infected over 45 people in Turkey.
Thousands of employees work shifts at MHRS centers in more than ten cities in Turkey, where workers reported basic cleaning supplies like soap and paper towels to be missing.
The World Health Organization suggests washing hands frequently with soap and water to avoid contamination by the coronavirus that’s spread to tens of thousands of people around the world since its appearance in December 2019.
An employee who wished to remain anonymous out of fear for their job said that authorities needed to take immediate action about the poor sanitary conditions in the MHRS office they work at.
The anonymous employee said that if the necessary conditions were met, they could easily work from home, which they wish to do sooner than later, considering they’re risking their families’ health as well.
MHRS employees said that they wanted to switch to a work-from-home system sooner than later because they want to stay away from the poor sanitary conditions in their offices.