ISTANBUL (AFP) – Turkish doctor Mesut began his career wanting to help patients and be of use to his country, but now the threat of patient violence and soaring inflation has forced him to plan a move abroad.
Mesut says he will quit his job at a private Istanbul hospital and next year leave with his wife and two children for Germany.
He is one of a growing number of highly skilled professionals who are leaving or want to leave Turkey -- a trend that experts say has accelerated in recent years as families struggle to keep up with the rising cost of living.
“We have lost all hope for the future,” the 38-year-old anesthesiologist told AFP.
“When I talk to my colleagues and close friends, they’re desperate. Everyone is considering alternative options,” said Mesut, who did not wish to give his full name.
Turkish doctors in particular say their working conditions have worsened, with long hours, an increase in physical and verbal abuse from patients or their relatives, and bullying by bosses.
In one of the most recent attacks, a gunman in July shot cardiologist Ekrem Karakaya 15 times and killed him, reportedly because he held the doctor responsible for his mother’s death.
Turkey’s economic woes have only made emigrating more attractive, with inflation exceeding 83 percent and the Turkish lira having lost around 30 percent in value against the dollar since the start of the year.
Some say even next year’s elections offer no hope for change.