A Cabinet decision concerning the scope of free health services was published in the Official Gazette yesterday. With the decision, the extent of free health services has been expanded, and sufferers of diseases specified by the Health Ministry will receive free healthcare.
Silicosis, also known as grinder’s disease, is a form of occupational lung disease caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica dust and is marked by inflammation and scarring in the nodular lesions in the lungs. As manually sandblasted jeans and denim became popular among young people in Turkey and abroad, illegal and unregistered workshops popped up all over the country to capitalize on the increasing demand. The Health Ministry announced in April that it has forbidden the manual sandblasting of denim fabric. Some 40 workers had reportedly died from the disease by April 2009.
Labor and Social Security Minister Ömer Dinçer announced in early January that 431 people have contracted silicosis in Turkey. Dinçer further noted that they have been supervising factories and workshops where denim is produced, and while one was closed in 2007 and 71 were shut down in 2008, another one was shuttered during 182 inspections carried out since September 2009.
