Internet bandwidth restrictions paralyze systems: Even sending a blood test was not possible

Sibel Bahçetepe

AKP government’s frequent imposition of bandwidth restrictions, social media access limitations, and internet slowdowns in recent years has negatively impacted numerous sectors, including healthcare, education, industry, and banking. In particular, disruptions to social media platforms such as WhatsApp commonly used by doctors for communication and sharing patient results have pushed the healthcare system further into crisis.

Following the announcement of an investigation into İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) and a detention order for Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, access issues have been widely reported across İstanbul for the past two days.

Bandwidth throttling has been applied to major social media platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp, forcing many users to rely on VPNs to access the internet—raising additional security concerns. The restrictions have severely affected healthcare institutions, including research hospitals, family health centers (ASM), and pharmacies.

Assistant doctors who spoke to BirGün described the impact: "For instance, we frequently use WhatsApp to quickly share and evaluate test results with our senior doctors and receive feedback to initiate treatment. Over the past two days, we have encountered serious issues. Even sending a simple blood test result has become impossible. Messages go through, but images do not load, making it difficult to compare test results. Ordinarily, visual comparison is much more practical, but now we are forced to rely on verbal explanations. This has slowed down our entire system. Doctors conducting patient consultations are also facing major difficulties. Additionally, e-NABIZ, which is heavily used in family medicine, is reportedly experiencing issues as well. In an era of digital technology, being cut off from these tools has severely hindered efficiency.”

Students have also reported experiencing difficulties, particularly in online education environments.

A MAJOR DISRUPTION

President of the İstanbul Medical Chamber, Prof. Dr. Osman Küçükosmanoğlu, strongly criticized the internet restrictions, stating: "In an era where we are talking about telemedicine applications, our communication freedom is being restricted. As doctors, we frequently use online platforms for communication, patient consultations, and medical discussions. However, these restrictions have severely disrupted these systems."

Pediatric cardiology specialist Prof. Dr. Osman Küçükosmanoğlu highlighted the impact of internet restrictions on medical practice, stating: "During my residency, I remember having to leave my home in the middle of the night just to see an EKG. Now, we can simply send a photo via WhatsApp and consult remotely. This restriction has caused a major disruption."

A REPRESSIVE MENTALITY

Çayan Çalık, Legal Secretary of Eğitim Sen İstanbul 2nd Branch, also criticized the government's actions, saying: "The government is deploying all possible tools of repression. By limiting access to online education, it is obstructing students' right to education. In healthcare, bandwidth restrictions are particularly dangerous, as they threaten the well-being of patients in urgent need of medical assistance. This issue was a major point of contention during the February 6 earthquake. Now, whenever a situation arises where public reaction is likely, these internet restrictions are enforced. But these measures are not a solution. The government must abandon this restrictive mentality and put an end to such interventions."

VIOLATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS

Prof. Dr. Yaman Akdeniz from the Freedom of Expression Association also condemned the bandwidth throttling, stating: "The bandwidth restrictions imposed by the Presidency via the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) are arbitrary and unconstitutional. This is not a new practice—we faced similar restrictions after the İstiklal Street terrorist attack, the February 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake, and most recently, the TUSAŞ attack in October 2024. All of these measures sparked criticism and backlash. The real aim is to prevent citizens from accessing information. Bandwidth throttling is arbitrary censorship."

Source: This article is translated from the original Turkish version titled İnternet bant daraltması sistemleri kilitledi: Kan tahlili göndermek bile mümkün olmadı published in BirGün newspaper on March 21, 2025.