Turkey is the third most populous country in WHO’s European Region, and its economy is among the ten largest economies in Europe. It has a high growth rate and a young population. Turkey is also a candidate for membership of the European Union. However, the population’s health status and the quality of the health care system are far below the country’s general level of development.

The last few years have seen a rapid expansion of the private health care sector in Turkey. The expectations of those with high incomes provide incentives for further expansion and encourage the private sector to play a larger role in the health care system. However, while this process may contribute to the development of health care infrastructure by increasing the number of health care facilities, and may satisfy patients who are able to pay for private health care, it exacerbates existing inequalities in access to health care among those with different levels of income. Furthermore, the development of an unregulated private health care sector raises substantial concerns about quality and service outcomes.

It is to be hoped that the Turkish health care system can move forward by addressing the deficiencies of the public sector identified elsewhere in this report, rather than by encouraging further privatization. There is considerable  scope for improvement of the public health care sector. As a result of internal and external pressures (notably accession to the European Union), public structures are likely to be fundamentally overhauled in coming years, leading to increased transparency and the establishment of more participatory democracy. Such changes are also likely to encourage improvements in the public health care sector, thereby increasing the overall equity, efficiency, effectiveness and quality of the Turkish health care system.

 

The healthcare system in Turkey mainly operates with three different types of hospitals: public, university and private. While social and health securities are governed in essence by the state, it is also possible to have private health insurance.

 

The majority of hospitals in Turkey, both public and private, are either meeting or surpassing international standards in equipment quality and expertise.The healthcare system in Turkey has gone through a series of crucial reforms in recent years. The EU accession and harmonization process has also provided additional momentum for implementation of changes in the health care system. The sector has undergone structural changes since 1984, when Turkey brought its legislation into line with the EU's Good Manufacturing Practices directives for medicinal products.