Cleaner of 17 years a ‘symbol’ of dedication at hospital in Türkiye

Every day at 5:30 am in the morning, Fevzi Ozkaya religiously leaves his home in the Black Sea province of Trabzon to make it to work on time at a local hospital. He has been doing this for the last 17 years and he is never tired. 

"I start work at 7:00 am I clean here until 4:00 pm My rapport with patients is also good. I listen to their troubles, 'Get well soon.' I say. I give directions to patients. They are very satisfied with me. 'God bless you.' they say."

Ozkaya is a cleaner at the Karadeniz Technical University (KTU) Farabi Hospital in Trabzon.

Ozkaya, 43, had an operation for a shunt at the age of 13 to prevent the accumulation of liquid in and around his brain due to hydrocephalus. He later underwent an operation for cysts in his brain. He also had four operations due to a problem in his eardrums.

He started to work as a permanent cleaning worker at KTU Farabi Hospital thanks to a good word from his doctor.

Known as "Mintikaci Fevzi" of the hospital, Ozkaya does not drop his broom and shovel until the end of his shift.

‘I am asked about the general environs’

Ozkaya told Anadolu Agency (AA) that he has thoroughly enjoyed his job for almost two decades now.

Expressing that he has the right to retire due to disability, Ozkaya said that he plans to go "as far as I can".

"I have earned my disability pension right, but I love this job. I do not want to retire, I want to continue working."

Ozkaya added, "I am asked about the general environs of the hospital all the time. All my friends here know me."

‘An exceptional person, the symbol of our hospital’

Farabi Hospital Branch Manager Ibrahim Polat is all praise for Ozkaya for his dedication in fulfilling a difficult task at the hospital.

“He does his job willingly, wholeheartedly, without shirking any duty, without neglect. He gives 100 percent of what he can do – in fact he gives 110 percent, 120 percent possibly, he has the highest level of dedication. He gets along with his colleagues well, is respectful, and is one of our most distinguished employees at this hospital.

“We’ve been working for so many years, and have never come across someone else who loves what he does as much as he does. He cleans all outdoor areas without us telling him what to do, we are very very happy with him.”

Polat also mentioned how Ozkaya has repeatedly been designated as the Employee of the Month and said “If you ask us, he shouldn’t just be Employee of the Month but Employee of the Day every day. We love him dearly, and he has endeared himself to us.”

Polat also observed that Ozkaya is eager to help all the patients. 

“Even when they don’t ask for a thing, he goes up to them and says ‘What brings you here? How can I help?’ He immediately assists the patient without hindering his work. He takes them to where they are and gets back to his task. His love of people, his sense of empathy is incredibly high, words cannot do justice. He is exceptional, a symbol of our hospital, as it were.”

Asked how he feels about being repeatedly chosen as the Employee of the Month, Ozkaya said, "People can throw a lot of things on the ground, but I patiently collect them."

"This job cannot be done without love."