Parliament adopts health service reforms

ANKARA

Lawmakers have ratified a proposal encompassing comprehensive amendments to health services, with the changes also entailing the transfer of control over health tourism operations to the Health Ministry.

With Türkiye attracting a substantial number of patients from abroad in recent years, coupled with reported malpractices in clandestine establishments, regulatory oversight will now be under the purview of the ministry, according to a statement by Health Minister Fahrettin Koca late on Feb. 21.

The amendments will address the concerns raised by both domestic and foreign media regarding substandard practices in unauthorized health care facilities. Last year, the U.K. government urged its citizens seeking health care services in Türkiye, particularly in the field of aesthetics, to verify the validity of the facilities they choose.

The 16-article regulation also aims to address staffing shortages in health care by increasing the number of contractual positions from 27,000 to 36,000 in areas facing recruitment difficulties.

Changes in the job description of midwives will allow them to actively participate in childbirth and gain authority to perform minor medical interventions, Koca said.

Newly graduated dentists will be allowed to actively serve in independent clinics, according to the new regulation.

In an effort to support the domestic pharmaceutical sector, the drug licensing process will be streamlined, while the two-month waiting period will be eliminated and license fees will be determined based on new criteria.

Furthermore, the regulations seek to promote scientific research by increasing compensation for personnel involved in scientific opinions and research requested from health care institutions.

Expressing gratitude to the deputies who legalized the amendments, the minister emphasized the necessity of continuous revision and improvement in every system due to social and economic transformations, rapidly advancing technology, and the constant evolution of needs and demands.