Family physicians on strike: 'Let the Ministry go ahead and terminate our contracts'

Beste Çelik - 12punto.com.tr

Physicians, who had previously filed a lawsuit to stay the execution of the Regulation on Amendments to the Family Medicine Contract and Payment Regulation published in the Official Gazette on October 30, 2024, have now announced their decision to go on a three-day strike on November 5-6-7. Dr. Sercan Ahmet Uluç, General Secretary of the Istanbul Family Physicians Association (İSTAHED), shared the clauses of the regulation that threaten family physicians and the physicians' demands with 12 Punto.

INCOME WILL DECREASE BY ONE-THIRD

Dr. Uluç explained the decline in family physicians' income under the new regulation with the following words:

“A regulation regarding the family medicine payment and contract regulation was published on October 30. According to this regulation, there are serious setbacks in both the personal rights and salaries of family medicine employees. Family medicine employees have a registered population and receive payments based on this population. The upper limit for this was 4,000; that is, a family physician with 4,000 people registered was receiving a salary based on this. This has been reduced to 3,500. Since there is a loss of 500 people, there is a loss of income here. The fee paid for each person who has not applied in the last 6 months among these 3,500 people has also been reduced by half. In other words, there is a one-third reduction in the income of a physician with a population of 4,000 according to this current regulation.”

'SALARIES WILL DROP IF THERE ARE TOO MANY ANTIBIOTICS IN PRESCRIPTIONS'

Stating that the salaries of family physicians may vary depending on the drugs in the prescriptions they write, Dr. Uluç said, “Apart from this, there will be a loss in our wages if the rates of antibiotics and stomach medications, such as stomach protectors, in prescriptions are high, based on patient satisfaction. If the number of hospital visits by our population in the last 1 year is over 7, there will again be a decrease in our wages. How are we supposed to ensure that a patient visits every 6 months, which is not in our hands? How are we supposed to prevent the patient from going to the hospital? There is a loss in our income due to reasons beyond our control. We absolutely do not accept this and demand that a new regulation be published regarding this.”

'LET THE MINISTRY GO AHEAD AND TERMINATE OUR CONTRACTS'

Reminding that they go through contract termination every 2 years, Dr. Uluç said, “At the end of this 2-year contract, there will be criteria determined by the Ministry of Health according to the regulation. If we fall below these criteria, our contract will not be renewed and our employment will be terminated. It is also stated that if we receive any disciplinary penalty during the 2-year contract period, if we are late for work 3 times, or if we go on a 3-day strike as we are doing now, our employment will be terminated. We are going on a 3-day strike; let the Ministry go ahead and terminate all of our contracts then. We absolutely do not accept this regulation, which comes with such contract termination threats and such income loss arrangements, and we demand that it be withdrawn as soon as possible.”