According to the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, health care is public property, it is the duty of the state and the Ministry of Health is responsible for health services. Health services are provided by public, semi-public, private, and non-profit foundations. The financing of Health Services is realized through taxes, Social Security Premiums, private insurance premiums, and out-of-pocket payments.

With accelerated reforms in the last 20 years and the ‘transformation in health’ program that started in 2003, the Turkish Health System has been reorganized, and the general health insurance system has been put into effect with the Social Security reform. As a result of these changes, citizens ‘ access to health services has been improved, and there have been improvements in the case of financial protection for low-income levels against high health spending. As of 2012, all citizens are required to be included in the general health insurance system.

Although Turkey has managed to rise above average in terms of health indicators and health expenditures compared to developing countries and countries in its income group, it is still one of the most negative in terms of health indicators compared to OECD member countries. In addition, the rapid increase in the share of public health spending in recent years increases the risks of financing.

How Is The Health System Established In Turkey?

The 1982 Constitution contains parallel regulations on health care and administration according to the 1961 constitution. 60. its article includes that everyone has the right to Social Security and that the state assumes this responsibility. The founding statement of the GSS is the 56th amendment of the 1982 constitution. it is stated in the articles.

This period witnessed efforts to expand socialization policies that began in 1961. With the increasing importance of financial management in health, the GSS was raised again in 1987, but regulations on this issue could not be implemented. In the same year, the Basic Law on health services was enacted.

At the first National Health Congress held in 1992, the issue of launching GSS was reconsidered, but no progress was made. However, in the same year, with the launch of the Green Card Program, a very important development occurred in increasing the coverage of health expenses of the uninsured population.

In 2003, the state of the health system reflected developments in previous periods. The health system in question consisted of a combination of a national health service providing limited free health services to the community and a social insurance system covering different segments of the population in the registered sector, as well as a social support program for the poor and weak.

Turkish Health System in Covid-19 Outbreak

It is impossible not to appreciate how valuable the investment in hospitals is with the Covid-19 outbreak. It is obvious that the filling of hospital capacities in many countries of Europe has clogged the health system, in America, bodies accumulate in hospital corridors, and in countries that are not comparable to Turkey, there are much more serious paintings. In this direction, health interventions that are not shown in many parts of the world are carried out in our country.

The number of hospitals in Turkey increasing every day. Therefore, it is possible for both domestic and foreign to benefit from health services. In addition to free health services, very high-quality health services are promised in private clinics. At this point, the most important detail is the work in hair transplantation, aesthetic operations, and other reconstructive areas. Both the fact that Turkey offers an affordable price and the fact that it is located very close to Europe make it a very preferred country.