The Republic of Turkey’s national under-five mortality rate was 12.7 per cent in 2015 and has been steadily decreasing for the past decade. This progress has been realised in part through the General Health Insurance scheme (GHI) introduced by the Government of Turkey in 2008 within the legal framework of the Social Security and Universal Health Insurance Law, which was passed in order to provide healthcare coverage to the majority of the population. The Ministry of Health operates more than 800 hospitals and more than 6,000 health centres, allowing for effective implementation of the UHI, which is managed by the Social Security Institute.
The GHI consists of contributory scheme and a non-contributory means-tested scheme that provides health coverage to all citizens and residents of Turkey. In order to be covered under the general health insurance scheme, a minimum contribution payment period of 30 days is required, with exemptions given to all persons below the age of 18, pregnant women, those employed by the Social Security Institute, stateless persons, refugees, those with incomes below one third of the minimum national threshold, and those in receipt of social assistance payments. The GHI provides a comprehensive package and entitlements with reimbursement for a range of preventative, diagnostic, and curative services. Co-payment is required for physical examination, orthotics and prostheses, healing materials, medicines or fertility treatments. Public coverage has increased rapidly from 70 per cent in 2002 to 86 per cent in 2014. This illustrates the great progress made since 2003 when only 24 per cent of the poorest groups were covered by health insurance.
The Republic of Turkey’s GHI is the latest achievement in health care coverage and dates back to the 1990s when lawmakers first began extending coverage to the informal sector as part of the 10 year Health Transformation Programme. In 2003 the Government merged three separate health insurance schemes in an effort to move away from fragmentation and provide more comprehensive coverage through a streamlined approach. Investments in social services, such as GHI, are essential in building Turkey’s social protection floor to ensure that all in need have access to essential healthcare.
Further Reading:
Rekha Menon, et. al. (2013). Toward Universal Coverage: Turkey’s Green Card Program for the Poor. World Bank, Washington DC. Accessed from http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/565451468319153981/pdf/750120NWP0Box300for0the0Poor0TURKEY.pdf on December 2016.