Abstract
How did Turkey transform from ‘a world leader in healthcare’ in the 2000s to a disintegrating healthcare system in the 2020s? What happened to the healthcare system in Turkey that was presented as ‘good practice for middle-income countries’ by international organisations after the 2003 reform as it later found itself in a position of the exodus of physicians from the country and extended waiting times for many services? These questions may come as a surprise for many outsiders who consider Turkey a leading destination for medical travel. Nevertheless, citizens’ experiences with the healthcare system are considerably different. This chapter presents the main characteristics of the healthcare system in Turkey and offers a critical account of fundamental changes to the system in the last two decades. The chapter concludes that the Turkish healthcare system is disintegrating today because its foundations such as electoral competition and public service ethos are eroding.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Research Handbook on Health Care Policy |
| Editors | Martin Powell, Tuba I. Agartan, Daniel Béland |
| Place of Publication | Cheltenham |
| Chapter | 26 |
| Pages | 479-496 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781800887565 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 9 Apr 2024 |
Keywords
- Emerging markets
- Health governance
- Health politics
- Middle-income countries (MICs)
- Public service ethos
- Turkey
