Retirement homes or residences of death?
While the number of citizens applying to retirement homes during the AKP period was announced as 50 thousand, it was revealed that the number people who died at these institutions was 11 thousand in the last nine years.
HÜSEYİN ŞİMŞEK -@simsekhuseyinn, huseyinsimsek@birgun.net
CHP Vice President and Istanbul deputy Gamze Akkuş İlgezdi requested information about retirement homes in Turkey from Ministry of Family and Social Policies. The acquired response showed that the promise of "peace of mind for the retired" in the AKP period has not been met even in the retirement homes.
No retirement homes in the eastern region
According to the data shared by İlgezdi, there were 387 retirement homes in Turkey by the end of 2017. Ministry officials stated that one or more retirement homes were located in 61 cities, whereas 20 cities did not have retirement homes. Adıyaman, Bingöl, Bitlis, Diyarbakır, Hakkâri, Mardin, Muş, Siirt, Batman, Şırnak and Iğdır are among these cities.
14 thousand citizens in ‘peaceful’ retirement homes of the Ministry.
Ministry officials responded to the question of how many of these 387 retirement homes belong to Ministry and how many of them are nonprofit organizations. They stated that 144 retirement homes and 47 almshouses belonged to them. There were 178 retirement homes belonging to the private sector, 22 belonging to other ministries, 22 belonging to municipalities, 29 belonging to associations and foundations, and five retirement homes belonging to minorities. Additionally, it was reported that a total of 14,622 citizens were staying in 144 retirement homes of the Ministry.
50 thousand applications in 15 years
Ministry officials stated that 50 thousand 154 citizens applied for living in retirement home since AKP came to power, from 2002 to the end of 2017, and only 3,679 people have left retirement homes with their own desires.
11 thousand people died in retirement homes
The response to the question regarding the number of deaths in the retirement homes has drawn attention. From 2009 until the end of 2017 a total of 11 thousand 541 citizens gave their last breath in the retirement homes. The highest number of deaths among these years has occurred in 2016 with 677 people.
The question of criminal staff
İlgezdi asked if there were any judicial inquiries about the staff working in retirement homes for any kind of criminal act. The Ministry officials didn’t provide specific information about past judicial inquiries. They said that inspections and investigations were carried out regularly in accordance with denunciation and complaints, and results were sent to related departments.
Translated by Ayla G. Adaklı