First, find a cure for hunger
Millions of people are unable to eat a healthy and balanced diet due to poverty. Instead of investigating the cause, the Ministry of Health is measuring height and weight on the streets. Sibel Uyan, Head of the Family Medicine Branch of the Turkish Medical Association, said, ‘People are gaining weight due to poverty.’
The Ministry of Health has launched a programme to raise public awareness about healthier lifestyles, which involves measuring height, weight and body mass index in many cities across Turkey.
This programme has sparked a new debate. While the ministry says it aims to measure the height and weight of 10 million people, there has been criticism that the programme is poorly planned. Currently, height and weight measurements are routinely conducted at Family Health Centres (ASM) in Turkey.
Doctors say, ‘Millions of people in this country cannot eat healthily because of poverty. The Ministry should address this first. Furthermore, conducting these measurements in public in cities is a violation of human rights.’
Dr. Sibel Uyan, Chair of the Family Medicine Branch of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB), responded, ‘What are they hoping to achieve with these measurements? People in this country are starving. They should address hunger first.’
CARBOHYDRATE DIET
Uyan said, “It is necessary to evaluate the results of height and weight measurements of people and develop policies accordingly. We all know that with so many people living in below the poverty line, very few people in the country will have a body mass index within normal limits, and the Ministry of Health knows this too. With so many people living below the poverty line, what kind of situation does the Ministry of Health expect?”
Uyan, recalling that stunting was detected in children under the age of 5 as a result of the work carried out by the TTB Disaster Academy in earthquake zones, said:
"The Ministry of Health does not see or hear these things. In this country, where people are struggling to make ends meet, of course there is a high carbohydrate intake. Of course, there are low-cost foods on the table, and therefore high-calorie foods. While demanding that the state provide at least one free meal a day to children, we had already warned about the obesity risk. But since the state is not providing a meal to schoolchildren, what outcome can be expected for children who are getting by on bread rolls and pastries?" Uyan added: "Measuring people's height and weight on the streets, in marketplaces, and in squares under the pretext of providing health services is both disrespectful to the privacy of individuals and disrespectful to the work of health professionals. As long as poverty, economic hardship, and lack of access to safe food continue in the country, people will continue to be obese, and children in particular will continue to suffer from developmental delays. First and foremost, the economy must be stabilised, workers must be paid fairly, and people must be able to bring home a decent wage and provide safe food for their families. Only then can we identify where the deficiencies lie."
Note: This text has been translated from the original Turkish version titled Önce açlığa çare bulun, published in BirGün newspaper on May 19, 2025.
