Erdogan confronts ‘obese’ state

Speaking at a dinner held by the Greater Istanbul Municipality at the Lutfi Kirdar Sports Hall, Erdogan said that bribery and corruption was a social disease, adding that Turkey would stop being a nation of flatterers.

He said: "The social collapse started when we became a nation of flatterers. They surround every top official. I am also surrounded by them. I have begun to see who is who. We need to eliminate this. This was the reason behind all this corruption. We will overcome this disease through cooperation. The citizens, in order to get what is their right, are bribing officials. If the people act like that, our job will become even more difficult. If you go somewhere and fail to get what is your right, burn, fight and get to me. Let’s make them account for their actions together."

Erdogan: SSK hospitals will be transferred to the state
Erdogan noted that the Treasury spent TL 22.5 quadrillion per year to pay the debts of Social Security Authority (SSK) hospitals. He said: "I say to those who object to the transfer of these hospitals to the Health Ministry that we will leave those hospitals to you, but you will no longer be able to ask the state to pay a single lira."

He said that the SSK hospitals would be transferred to the Health Ministry on Jan 1, 2005, which was causing certain problems.

Erdogan said that some were opposing this transfer of ownership by saying that the people owned these hospitals, adding: "Both the SSK and state hospitals are owned by the people."

He said: "The people have elected me to govern these institutions. What am I? Aren’t I the manager of these bodies? I am authorized to manage them properly. If I don’t, the people will hold me accountable."

He said that it was everyone’s democratic right to object to government policies and hold rallies, but told them to understand that they would be left to manage the SSK hospitals with the SSK fees alone.

They had to unite the management of the state and the SSK hospitals, said Erdogan, dismissing claims that hospital services would no longer be free.

He said that they had plans to implement a national health insurance network sometime in 2005, noting that 13 million people had green cards, which provided free medical services.

When the national health insurance was in place, the state no longer would be the cheated side, said Erdogan.