Turkey, which performs the last 18 years became one of the countries cited by the health revolution in the world. Coronavirus outbreak across Turkey, both health infrastructure and power of the upper structure allows the separation of both developed countries largely reveals the most successful example of the strong welfare state and offered free health services.
With the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) becoming a pandemic, the main issue of all states has become the fight against the epidemic for several months, and each country has focused on its own national struggle. However, in this struggle, it is followed by the whole world how even the economically developed states of the world have failed and how vulnerable they are to sudden shocks such as epidemic diseases. Problems such as insufficient infrastructure and superstructure, equipment and production inadequacy of the health systems of the USA, which has not been able to realize a comprehensive health reform for years and some European countries presented as “social state example”, as well as the inability of lower social classes to access health services in economic terms, come to light. At this point, Turkey, the last 18 years, the health care system in his most prepared qualitative and quantitative leap with the shock in question, is notable as one of the few successful countries in terms of adequate and struggle. Raising the health system in many areas such as infrastructure and superstructure, equipment, medicine, doctors and personnel, especially before the epidemic occurs; pre-pandemic and after that he had great success with the measures in the strategy followed by Turkey, both the health care system has become a model country in terms of fighting both secretions.
Turkey’s Health Revolution
During 18 years of AK Party in Turkey, although many silent revolution occurred transformation of the health system in particular, it stands out as one of the most successful areas. In the health system, the long-standing insufficiencies in the number of hospitals, beds, equipment and doctors, the separation of the health system including hospitals into different health insurance systems such as SSK, Emekli Sandığı and Bağ-Kur, and the problems in accessing paid or unpaid health and medicine enough to show the status of the system. However, above all, even for the most basic health services such as examination and emergency services, the appointment and drug queues overflowing the streets at dusk show that the system is incapable of providing the most basic and humane service to the public.
The health system, which was clogged 18 years ago and was at the point of collapse, experienced a great revolution in this process and became a system that is seen as a model in the world. Moreover, the necessary investments and additions are still ongoing for this revolution and the sustainability of high-level service. At this point, steps such as collecting the multi-headed health insurance system under the roof of SSI and ending the service separation, adding private hospitals to the system and creating an average private health service conditions that can be met by the majority of the society have been taken to facilitate access to health services. Again, an unimaginable revolution has taken place in many developed countries, such as the fact that almost all of the society has received the guarantee of free health care with state insurance within the scope of General Health Insurance. In addition to these, approximately 1.5 million people are currently provided with free home care and health services.
On the other hand, took a huge leap in Turkey and the 18-year period in terms of human resources was realized with the bodywork. The number of hospitals, which are among the basic indicators in the health system, has increased by 31.3 percent, the number of beds 45.3 percent, the number of intensive care beds by 706.4 percent, the number of single rooms 427.1 percent, the number of doctors 75.4 percent, the number of nurses and midwives by 123.6 percent and the total number of health personnel by 240.7 percent. . At this point in particular is seen as a growth well above the population growth rate in all of these areas is believed to Turkey increased by 27.9 percent in the respective period of the population. This is the biggest indication that the system improves beyond meeting the needs of the population in every field.
Increase in Quality and City Hospitals
Besides this success in quantitative sense, the health system has also undergone a qualitative revolution. When the numbers are examined, while there was a single room for 3 thousand 483 people in 2002, this number reached 833 in 2020. In terms of the number of intensive care beds, while one bed fell to 29 thousand 782 people in 2002, this number reached 2 thousand 79 in 2020. The number of population per one doctor decreased from 717 to 516 by decreasing 201 people. However, in addition to all these, the most important development in terms of qualification was the ratio of the number of single rooms to the total number of beds, this ratio, which was 11.5 percent in 2002, increased to 41.7 percent in 2020. This shows that while the quantitative increase has been achieved in terms of infrastructure and superstructure in this process, the quality of health services has also been greatly increased.
In this success, the most important strategy that enabled the AK Party government to increase the quantitative and quality together was to increase the quality of the existing and to bring the newly offered services to the system in a high quality manner. At this point, city hospitals have been the most important breakthrough in terms of sustaining and increasing the recovery rates achieved. It is aimed to provide all health services under one roof and to provide the highest level of quality service in city hospitals, which is a new pillar of the Health Transformation Program of the AK Party since 2002. Until today, 13 city hospitals opened in Bursa, Ankara, Eskişehir, Manisa, Elazig, Kayseri, Adana, Isparta, Mersin and Yozgat, three of which are in Istanbul, have started to serve partially or completely. The contribution of city hospitals to the health system, which will soon be fully operational, and city hospitals, which have a total bed capacity of 16,99, including single rooms, is the most important step in raising the health system to the next level. In addition, with 8 city hospitals planned to be opened partially or completely this year, the capacity is expected to exceed 20 thousand.
On the other hand, the international standards and qualitative service increase put forward by the city hospitals have also made an important contribution to the fight against the coronavirus epidemic. At this point, city hospitals have made a great difference in combating the epidemic, especially in terms of isolation facilities, test speed and capacity, single room and intensive care beds. Such that; Health Minister Fahrettin husband announced to 100 the number of intensive care beds per thousand people in Turkey, this figure was likely to find 40 developed countries that the United States 34.7, 29.2 in Germany, 12.5 in Italy, 11.6 in France, South Korea 10.6 in Spain, 9.7 in Spain, 7.3 in Japan and 6.6 in England. With the great contribution of the opportunities offered by city hospitals, this has ensured that the number and rates of deaths due to coronavirus are below even some countries shown as examples in combating the epidemic.
As a result, Turkey, for example, realized that the health revolution in the world the last 18 years has been among the countries represented. Especially considering all health systems in the world with crippling outbreak of coronavirus Turkey should lower health and strength of the superstructure, largely free health services provided for ensuring separation from both developed countries; reveals the most successful example of being a strong and social state with the health system.
