Turkish Health Ministry’s electronic prescription system excludes Kurdish language

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has announced that the electronic prescription system (“E-Reçetem”) is now available in five foreign languages, including Arabic and Russian. The system excluding Kurdish, which is the second most spoken language in Turkey, has drawn ire.

Monday August 28 2023 11:36 am

Duvar English

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Aug. 26 announced that the electronic prescription system (“E-Reçetem”) is now available in five foreign languages.

In a tweet, Koca said they added English, German, Arabic, French and Russian languages to the system after their testing process was completed.

E-REÇETEM SİSTEMİNE 5 DİL EKLENDİ
E-Reçetem Sisteminde test işlemi tamamlanan diller, dün sabah saatlerinde canlı ortama alınmaya başlanmış olup, tüm dillerin (İngilizce, Almanca, Arapça, Fransızca ve Rusça) canlı ortama alınması bugün tamamlanmıştır. Hayırlı olsun.
— Dr. Fahrettin Koca (@drfahrettinkoca) August 26, 2023

The opposition parties and politicians slammed that the system excluding Kurdish, which is the second most spoken language in Turkey.

Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) on Aug. 26 said “Where is Kurdish, the ancient language of these lands, why didn't you add it to the system? As if there was no Kurdish problem, as if you didn't discriminate against Kurds”

In Kurdish language on the same tweet, the party said “Kurds who support the (ruling) AKP, do you not ever ask these questions? Mr. Fahrettin Koca, if at least you had protected your language,” referring to Koca being a Kurd.

Hayırlı olsun tabii ama, bu toprakların kadim dili olan Kürtçe nerede, neden sisteme eklemediniz? Hani Kürt sorunu yoktu, hani Kürtlere ayrımcılık yapmıyordunuz?

Kurdên ku piştgirî didin AKP'ê, gelo hun jî van pirsan napirsin? Birêz Fahrettin Koca qet nebû tu li zimanê xwe jî… https://t.co/4NS3kVDn9j
— HDP (@HDPgenelmerkezi) August 26, 2023

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Sezgin Tanrıkulu on Aug. 27 said “It is unacceptable that Kurdish, the mother tongue of millions of our citizens, has not been added to the system. Why is there no Kurdish in a system where there is Russian and Arabic?”

Milyonlarca yurttaşımızın ana dili olan #Kürtçe’nin E-REÇETEM sistemine eklenmemiş olması olması kabul edilemez.Bu durum yurttaşlarımzın sağlık hizmeti almalarnda ana dillerinden kaynaklı sorunları görmezden gelmektir. Rusça’nın Arapça’nın olduğu bir sistemde neden Kürtçe yoktur? https://t.co/ZZQ4N0c0zV
— Sezgin Tanrıkulu (@MSTanrikulu) August 27, 2023

On the other hand, the Pharmacist Solution Association chair Miraç Laçin Uluğ on Aug. 26 questioned the move and said “The addressee of the prescription written by the doctor is not the patient, but the pharmacist. What exactly is the rationale for prescribing in a language the pharmacist doesn't know?”

“The most used language in social and family life in this country is Kurdish. While millions are speaking this language, what is the reason why perhaps the only language that will work in this amazing innovation cannot find a place?,” Uluğ added.

Renkli Reçete Sistemine doktorlarımız için büyük bir inovasyon ile İngilizce, Almanca, Fransızca, Arapça dillerinde E-Reçete yazma imkanı getirildi.

1) Doktor tarafından yazılan reçetenin muhattabı hasta değil, Eczacıdır. Türkiye’de Eczacılık yapabilmek için Türkçe bilmek… pic.twitter.com/2XzuNP4nbi
— Miraç Laçin Uluğ (@EczMirac) August 26, 2023