CTP Announces Health Programme: A Comprehensive Approach to Be Adopted

The Republican Turkish Party (CTP) presented its joint future programme for healthcare to the public. At a press conference where healthcare objectives and policies for the new period were outlined, CTP Chair Sıla Usar İncirli made statements on the problems facing the healthcare system and the party’s goals for addressing them.

İncirli said they believed it was possible to establish a better system capable of providing equal, safe and high-quality healthcare to all citizens, adding that this belief was shared by a broad team that had been working together in the healthcare sector for many years.

Pointing out that a patient’s inability to access healthcare when needed could have life-threatening consequences, İncirli said delays could cause permanent damage and put patients’ lives at risk. She noted that they were aware of the problems faced not only by patients but also by doctors and other healthcare workers in hospitals, adding that they would adopt a comprehensive management approach that took into account the needs of both groups in the new period.

Emphasising that their focus extended beyond new buildings and medical equipment to human life, İncirli said patients’ rights would serve as a guiding principle for them. She also stressed the importance of ensuring that healthcare workers could perform their duties freely and without being subjected to pressure.

Stating that the current situation in healthcare was unsatisfactory, İncirli said they would draw on international studies when developing policies for the new period.

Referring to studies by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), İncirli said these would serve as a guide.

İncirli said one of the issues they would prioritise in healthcare was the amount citizens paid out of their own pockets. Drawing attention to the country’s financial difficulties, she stated that healthcare expenditure had increased tenfold since 2022, adding that one of the primary goals of their work would be to reduce patients’ out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.

İncirli also emphasised that the current situation needed to be measured and assessed using data in order to develop sound healthcare policies.