Ankara Medical Chamber: No to austerity policies in healthcare

Patient co-payment fees have seen hikes ranging from 200 to 540 percent. Reactions to the hikes are growing like an avalanche. Following the Istanbul Medical Chamber (İTO), a statement has also come from the Ankara Medical Chamber (ATO). 

In the statement issued by the ATO, it was noted: "You cannot solve the problems in the healthcare system by implementing austerity policies, charging for healthcare services, or imposing high price hikes. If profit-loss calculations take precedence over public interest, that place has turned into a business!" 

The full statement is as follows: 

"While millions of people are becoming further impoverished under conditions of high inflation and economic crisis, the share of household income allocated to health will increase even more due to the hikes in patient co-payment fees. According to the 2023 Health Expenditure Statistics of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), out-of-pocket health expenditures made by households for various purposes such as treatment and medication reached 220 billion 914 million TL in 2023—an increase of 97.2 percent compared to the previous year. While per capita health expenditure was 7 thousand 141 TL in 2022, it increased by 104.2 percent in 2023 to 14 thousand 582 TL. These hikes are a primary factor that will accelerate absolute and relative poverty in low-income households, including those of the unemployed, retirees, and those trying to survive on minimum wage. At a time when, according to December data, the hunger threshold for a family of four has risen to 21 thousand TL, the monthly cost of living for a single worker to 27 thousand 365 TL, and the minimum wage is 22 thousand 104 TL, the hikes in patient co-payment fees will lead to restricted access to healthcare services.

'WE DO NOT ACCEPT THIS'

It is possible to see the injustice and inequality in health policies by comparing them with the raise rates given to civil servants, workers, and retirees. The hikes will deepen social injustice and inequality in access to services! While boasting about the number of physician visits per capita on one hand, the contradiction of restricting applications to institutions on the other is an expression of the failure in health policies that have moved away from rationality and science. As physicians, we do not accept these goals and strategies imposed by the Health Transformation Program, which does not consider public interest, is turned into a puzzle by arbitrary regulations, and has adopted the principle of making the public, physicians, and healthcare workers pay the bill for poor health management. You cannot solve the problems in the healthcare system by implementing austerity policies, charging for healthcare services, or imposing high price hikes. If profit-loss calculations take precedence over public interest, that place has turned into a business!"

The ATO offered the following recommendations: 

* Another healthcare system is possible that is equal, free, prioritizes justice in access to services, and prioritizes quality in service delivery.

* The financing model in healthcare should be a general budget system formed by general taxes.

* The share allocated to health should be at least 10 percent. The fee schedule in public health services should be ended.

* The Health Transformation Program should be ended.