Dr. Erkan Sanmak
Dr. Erkan Sanmak
Department Head, Turkish Ministry of Health · Medical Microbiology Specialist
Born in 1986 in Kumru, Ordu. He completed his medical education at Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine. After working as a primary care and emergency physician, he trained in Pathology and specialized in Medical Microbiology.
At Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital he was responsible for laboratory quality standards and received an official letter of appreciation for top-level evaluations. In 2018 he was appointed Medical Microbiology Specialist at Mardin Training and Research Hospital, focusing on laboratory automation and infrastructure. During the COVID-19 pandemic he led the establishment of the PCR laboratory in Mardin, voluntarily supported laboratory setups in Batman, Siirt and Şırnak, and received a Certificate of Achievement from the Mardin Governorship.
He served as Deputy Chief Physician (reorganizing outpatient services and improving hospital capacity) and as Head of Health Services at the Mardin Provincial Health Directorate (licensing, inspections, emergency services, and UMKE coordination). He also took part in field operations during the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake.
As Department Head at the Turkish Ministry of Health, his work includes strengthening the midwifery profession, supporting antenatal education and promoting normal birth, and developing the Regulation on Independent Practice of Health Professions to create auditable systems and new employment opportunities.