Two Turkish Health Ministry community centers put up for sale by landlords
Two Family Healthcare Centers of the Turkish Health Ministry in Istanbul were put up for sale by their landlords, the daily Cumhuriyet reported on Feb. 16. There are reportedly almost 1,200 of these centers in Istanbul, and around 40 percent of them are not publicly owned.
Duvar English
Two Family Healthcare Centers run by the Health Ministry in Istanbul have been put up for sale by the properties' landlords, the daily Cumhuriyet reported on Feb. 16.
Although Family Healthcare Centers are a public service offered by the state, around 40 percent of them are located on private rental properties, Istanbul Medical Chamber board member Dr. Recep Koç noted.
The landlords of both offices placed the properties on the online owner-to-buyer real estate market Sahibinden, promoting the properties with their current status as healthcare centers.
"More than 60 percent of the almost 1,200 Family Healthcare Centers in Istanbul are publicly owned, but the rest are rented from private owners," Koç said.
The sale of these properties can cause issues if the new owners object to the use of the space for healthcare services, Koç said, adding that some Family Healthcare Centers have suffered from disaccords like this in the past.
"The buildings of Family Healthcare Centers should be publicly-owned, and rents should be eliminated because we are public servants who work for the community," Koç noted.
Municipalities should facilitate healthcare centers' ownership of their own facilities by allocating space for them in zoning plans, Koç added.