Making Friends

Talked to a doctor here in Ankara, the ODTUe-health centre, on occasion of a health care field study – medical doctor is relevant as he wants to go to a conference of professionals from the sector which he had been asked to address. The ‘which’ translated to where: Dublin – that is the place where the conference will take place.

And Ireland – together with the UK are apparently those EUropean for which he needs a visa even for this. Well, he goes there, and even goes there together with his wife and his son. And in every shop, every pub …, on any any occasion where he could spend money, so bitterly needed by the Irish economy he will say: Sorry, don’t have money anymore. Had to pay 180 Euro to the Irish government to obtain the visa.

Well, with this statement he got at least one Irish friend – though that friend still has a German passport …

There may be one thing added: foreigners, working at ODTUe, even for a short time, are immediately covered by the Turkish health system.

There may be another thing: The health reform here, very much about privatisation (finally we want to be “good EUropeans here as well), will most likely change that and finally we all have to pay – then it doesn’t matter if we are Turkish, Irish, living here or there …. – freedom and democracy. Searched for this Brecht-piece, and strangely (?) enough, the first site coming up bears the title: ‘Responsibility for a Healthy World”