Minister of Health Memişoğlu: We are transitioning to a fully electronic system in our 112 system as of the beginning of 2026.

Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu, who made several visits to Antalya, expressed his pleasure at being among so many devoted physicians in his speech at the "12th World Congress of Emergency Surgery (WSES 2025)," held at a hotel in the Belek Tourism Center in collaboration with the National Association of Trauma and Emergency Surgery and the World Association of Emergency Surgery.

Memişoğlu, explaining that Türkiye has significant experience in the field of trauma, from earthquakes to accidents, and that he shares this with the world, emphasized at the congress that he knows the difficulties and sacrifices of the profession very well, not only as a minister but also as a general surgeon.

Memişoğlu stated that trauma is one of the most important challenges facing healthcare systems today, noting that millions of people in Türkiye experience trauma every year for various reasons, from traffic accidents to domestic injuries.

Underlining that trauma is one of the most sudden, most difficult, yet most meaningful areas of medicine, Memişoğlu noted the following:

"It's a field where even a minute can make a difference, where a reflex, a decision, a single intervention can save lives. Our profession is characterized by preparation and team spirit. You are the strongest elements of that team spirit. In the last year, approximately 1 million trauma cases were transported in our ambulances. One in every six patients transported was a trauma patient. 85 percent of these traumas were the result of vehicle traffic accidents. This rate clearly demonstrates one thing: trauma is not just a medical issue; it's also a societal responsibility. Each of us has an important duty to raise this awareness. Today, Turkey boasts a robust human resource in surgical specialties. We serve with nearly 44,000 surgical specialists. We have 5,392 specialists in general surgery, 4,862 in orthopedics and traumatology, 2,372 in brain and neurosurgery, 827 in thoracic surgery, and 3,690 in emergency medicine."

Minister Memişoğlu emphasized that the 112 Emergency Health System personnel, which has a world-class structure, are the first to arrive at the scene at the most critical moment of trauma and the fastest-organized teams.

Memişoğlu stated that these teams can attend to different cases at any time and have the ability to produce solutions accordingly, and continued:

We are transitioning our 112 system to a fully electronic system as of early 2026. This means that a case registered in the 112 system will be fully monitored electronically starting in January 2026 and managed electronically until it reaches the hospital. We will be the first in the world with this digital infrastructure, enabling faster and more immediate follow-up. Across the country, there are 3,551 stations, 5,617 ground ambulances, 15 helicopter ambulances, and two air ambulances on active duty. In 2024, this number exceeded 6,798,000. This is an enormous operational capacity. We have 44,992 heroic personnel keeping this system running. Among them are 1,883 physicians, 17,492 paramedics, and 18,250 emergency health technicians.

Memişoğlu noted the dedicated work of the volunteer-based UMKE teams and said that Türkiye's healthcare infrastructure is at a completely different level compared to the past.

Memişoğlu stated that they performed approximately 14 million surgeries in 2024 with 1,246 emergency rooms, over 270,000 bed capacity, 48,638 intensive care beds, and 8,531 operating rooms nationwide. He said, "In our country, we provide healthcare services that can serve as an example to the world with our digital health infrastructure, modern hospitals, well-equipped emergency response centers, and high-tech integrated healthcare facilities and valued physicians."

Following the speeches, National Trauma and Emergency Surgery Association and Congress President Prof. Dr. Mehmet Eryılmaz presented Minister Memişoğlu with a plaque of appreciation.