Tuesday, 01 February, 2022.
Following the shocking revelations about the neglect and abuse of elderly residents of the People’s Foundation Nursing Home for the Elderly in Borderüstü, an article published by Yeniduzen points out that there is no specific law which regulates care homes.
According to the report, the only regulation in Article 221 of the Penal Code on this issue states that under “Liability of Person Who Takes Care and Supervision of Another Person, any person who undertakes the care and supervision of another person shall be liable for any consequences that may arise in relation to the life or health of the other person due to any negligence in the performance of this duty“.
Regarding the issue of regulation of care homes, Minister of Health Dr Ali Pilli said that the ministry does not have the responsibility and authority in this regard, “This is a unique place. The state should enact a law on such places in particular,” he said.
Stating that the subject of supervision is the shame of the state, Pilli said, “We do not take care of the elderly.”
Additionally, deputies engaged in health care who take office in Parliament or about to serve in the new term have agreed on the legal deficiency and stated that there should be some self-criticism regarding the issue.
Reminding that in 2018, when Dr Pilli was in office, he completed the by-law on state-affiliated elderly care homes and received an opinion from the Prosecutor’s Office, CTP deputy Dr Filiz Besim pointed out that the said study had not come into force.
