Dramamine For Dog Nixed by Health Center Doctors in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 9 March 2021)

       First, do no harm (to dogs or insurance companies).

In Bayrampaşa, Istanbul, Aynur E. went to the Cevatpaşa Family Health

Center wanting the doctors there to write a prescription "for my dog's 

treatment", which she could submit to SGK (insurance provider).  The 

medicine in question is used for humans (dramamine) to treat motion 

sickness but in large doses it can produce delirium and hallucinations, 

and it is not sold without a prescription. 

In response, Dr. Faruk Çolakoğlu told Aynur hanım that she should have

a veterinarian prescribe this medicine for her dog, but since it requires a 

prescription she probably could still not obtain it.    In any case, 

Dr. Çolakoğlu explained to Aynur hanım that "we cannot write a 

prescription in your name for a dog" and asked her to leave the health

center. 

Undeterred, Aynur hanım came back in the following days and asked 

other doctors for the prescription but none of them would write it.  So, 

Aynur hanım wrote to the Presidency Communication Center (CİMER) 

to file a complaint and succeeded in having an investigation started into 

the health center doctors. (!)   One question posed to the doctors by 

CIMER was: "what do you have to say about telling Aynur F., when

she asked you to write a prescription for D(dramamine) for her dog, 

that 'we are not veterenians' and that you shoo'd her away with a hand

gesture?"

Dr. Çolakoğlu lamented that "this is a tragicomic incident, fit for a 

Levent Kırca (late famous Turkish comedian) sketch.  I told her that

we couldn't write the prescription and said that if she had no other 

health complaint she ought to leave.  The medicine she wanted requires

a prescription and its misuse can cause problems.  It's even on the 

government's list of controlled medicines.  We are careful about 

prescribing it for humans and writing a prescription for it for a dog is 

illegal.  Also, us writing the prescription would amount to a fraud 

against SGK."

Family doctor Muhammet Şahin is involved in a court case with 

Aynur hanım and he even filed a "Beyaz Kod" (attack against a 

health worker) complaint against her because when Dr. Şahin told 

Aynur F. that "there are no vaccinations given at our health center" she 

responded angrily, saying "why aren't you giving vaccinations?! 

You think you're like Sultans! Scoundrels!"

            Levent Kırca was more of a goat lover, anyway.