What happened
Türkiye’s Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Ministry has issued administrative penalties totalling TRY 501.568 million to three healthcare facilities in Elazığ linked to a private provider.
The ministry said the action followed notification from judicial authorities during an ongoing investigation. According to its account, camera footage and GSM records showed that medical waste collected from three branches of the provider was burned on separate occasions in 2025.
The new action concerns three facilities and follows an earlier administrative sanction against the same healthcare provider. In May, provincial ministry teams imposed a penalty of TRY 47,206,354 after finding that medicines and hospital waste had been transported contrary to applicable requirements and burned in the garden of private property.
The latest penalties were applied under relevant provisions of Environmental Law No. 2872, the ministry said in its announcement.
Why it matters
The case highlights the potential financial consequences for healthcare operators where the collection, movement and final treatment of medicines or clinical waste do not meet environmental requirements. The latest fine is substantially larger than the penalty imposed in May.
It also indicates that enforcement may draw on records beyond conventional waste documentation. The ministry attributed the findings on the 2025 incidents to camera material and mobile-network data, obtained in the context of the continuing judicial process.
Healthcare providers should check that waste is traceable from collection through transport to authorised treatment or disposal. Particular attention is warranted where multiple sites, third-party transport arrangements or temporary waste storage are involved.
What readers should do next
Operators handling clinical or pharmaceutical waste should review their procedures against applicable environmental obligations, including controls over collection and transport. They should also retain clear records demonstrating how waste is transferred and treated.
The ministry said the judicial investigation remains under way. It did not set out a timetable for subsequent proceedings or further enforcement steps.
