Full workday law partially nixed

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Top court partly annules a law which makes full workday illegal for doctors. Hürriyet photo

The Constitution Court partially annulled a law yesterday that makes it illegal for doctors working in the public sector to open private clinics.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) had taken the law to the court, asking for annulment of certain provisions and the abolition of the related act in force.

The provisions brought various prohibitions for doctors working at institutions such as public and university hospitals, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), and the Gülhane Military Academy of Medicine (GATA).
Accordingly, doctors working at public hospitals as well as doctors working for the TSK will now be able to open private clinics and work at private foundation universities. Medical professors who are employed by universities will also be able to practice in the private sector.

In April, the Council of State, Turkey’s top administrative court had overturned the same law. According to the decision by the Council of State, doctors who work in the public sector would have been allowed to open private clinics, but they would have still been restricted from working in certain private health institutions.

The Health Ministry had issued a press release on the new law, commonly referred to as the “Full Workday Law” on its website in July 2010, to become effective as of the end of that month. The Turkish Doctors’ Union (TTB) had brought the case to the Top Administrative Court.