The Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board (Turkish: Koronavirüs Bilim Kurulu) is a group of medical scientists set up by the Ministry of Health to develop measures in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey that are imposed by the government.[1][2]
The Scientific Advisory Board was set up on 10 January 2020 following the emergence of the coronavirus outbreak, before the World Health Organization confirmed it mid March as pandemic.[2][3][4][5] The board initially consisted of 26 members, including 21 university professors and 4 medical experts specialized in Pulmonology, Infectious Diseases, Clinical Microbiology and a legal adviser.[2][6] The number of board members later increased to 31 with the joining of expert academics in virology, internal medicine, intensive care medicine.[5][7] The Minister of Heath Fahrettin Koca mentioned in a press conference on 7 April that the advisory board has 35 members.[8] This number later increased to 38.[9]
The board members do their own work in the morning and meet every day in the afternoon at the Ministry of Health.[3] The board works out guidelines for the treatment by medicals and measures to be followed by the public, and updates them in context of the disease's course in the country. The board reports to the Health Minister. The implementation of the measures is carried out by the government.[1][2] Almost every board member is invited by television, radio and newspapers to inform and warn the public about the coronavirus and personal protection as well as to prevent information pollution in the social media.[3]