Court issues injunction on YÖK circular closing down Şifa University polyclinics

Şifa University, whose nine outpatient polyclinics in İzmir were shut down earlier this month because of a circular released by the Higher Education Board (YÖK), has said the polyclinics will continue to serve patients, after an administrative court issued an injunction on the controversial circular.

Şifa University Rector Mehmet Ateş said on Twitter on Thursday that an appeal filed by the university at the İzmir Administrative Court over the YÖK circular has been concluded and the court issued an injunction on the circular.

“All of our hospitals will continue to serve as of tomorrow [Friday],” he said.

Earlier this month, police raided the hospitals of the Şifa and Başkent universities in İzmir and demanded they close their polyclinics within three days. Başkent University had earlier obtained a similar court decision and continued to serve patients at their polyclinics. The police operation is seen a part of an ongoing, government-led witch hunt against business groups affiliated with the Gülen movement, also known as the Hizmet movement, whose philosophy is inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Published on Today's Zaman, 24 December 2015, Thursday

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