Siber Uyan, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Family Medicine Branch (AHEK), said, "We continue to insist on providing health services in earthquake-resistant Family Health Center buildings built and equipped by the public. As family physicians, we want to provide a single wage of at least twice the poverty line every month, justice in taxes, and safe, primary health care that is not dependent on performance."
At the press conference he held at Ankara Medical Chamber together with TTB Central Council Members, Uyan stated that, according to the 2025 Health Statistics Yearbook of the Ministry of Health, 1 billion 138 million applications were made to physicians last year.
Stating that 41.3 percent of these applications were made to primary care institutions and 58.7 percent to institutions providing secondary and tertiary health services, Uyan noted that an average of 5.4 applications per person per year were made to primary health care institutions and 7.8 times to hospitals, and the total number of applications reached 13.2.
Uyan pointed out that this rate is more than twice the annual average of 6.5 applications in OECD member countries.
Reminding that Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu announced in his 2026 budget speeches that approximately 16 million MRI and 17 million CT scans were performed in the first 10 months of 2025, Uyan said, "Why does the Ministry of Health prefer therapeutic health policies that move away from preventive medicine and qualified health care? Who is harmed and who benefits from this choice? How well does it work? Why does a person have to go to hospitals repeatedly?" he asked.
"56 PERCENT OF THE 227 BILLION TL FIRST LEVEL BUDGET WITHDRAWED IN THE FUND SCANDAL"
Stating that Minister Memişoğlu talked about the importance he attaches to preventive health services and his contributions to family medicine in his statements, Uyan said, "We, who work in this system, know from experience that these statements do not correspond to reality."
Stating that approximately 40 percent of health services are provided in primary care and mainly in family health centers (FHC), Uyan said that the share allocated to preventive health services from the Ministry of Health budget is 27.54 percent.
Reminding the issue of manipulation in the fund, Uyan stated that the total of 227 billion liras withdrawn by 650 people with great profits just before the CMB's liquidation decision, corresponded to 56 percent of the budget allocated by the Ministry of Health to primary healthcare services.
Uyan said:
"What happened to the thousand ASMs that Minister Memişoğlu announced during the 2026 budget negotiations? Where are the ASMs under project and construction? Why are the ASMs still not renewed while healthcare workers are trying to provide services and the public is trying to receive services in buildings that lack earthquake safety in inappropriate conditions?
Why is the HPV vaccine, which is effective in preventing intrauterine cancer and applied by 147 countries, still not included in the expanded vaccination program? "While it is seen even in the statistics of the Ministry of Health that vaccination coverage is gradually decreasing, why is there still no action to eliminate vaccine hesitancy?"
"HEALTH WORKERS ARE WORKING BELOW THE POVERTY LIMIT"
Uyan stated that as of September 2026, annual inflation is 46.6 percent according to ENAG and 29.7 percent according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.
Stating that according to TÜRK-İŞ, the hunger line reached 37 thousand 800 liras and the poverty line reached 123 thousand 130 liras, Uyan said:
"While millions of people who cannot meet their basic social and spiritual needs, especially nutrition, shelter, heating and transportation, in an adequate and balanced manner are experiencing deep poverty, health workers are forced to serve them below the poverty line.
"This government and its healthcare management, which imposes a 35 percent tax deduction on family physicians, imposes 16 types of performance criteria, puts patients as customers and creates satisfaction criteria, forces us to prescribe medication even for single patients with the artificial intelligence-supported Risk-Based Control System, virtually allows us to be subjected to violence on the grounds that we do not meet inappropriate requests and does not make arbitrary hospital appointments, and terminates contracts when we are excused for 180 days while receiving treatment for fatal diseases, is bankrupt."
"EQUAL, FREE, QUALIFIED AND ACCESSIBLE HEALTH CARE IS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT"
Stating that protecting and improving public health should be a priority, Uyan said that equal, free, qualified and accessible health care is a fundamental right.
Uyan said, "The society cannot be healthy by only providing health services to the society; for this, the basic rights and needs of the society must be met completely and adequately. Public resources should be spent on the whole society, not just on a segment of it, but as much as it needs."
Stating that the buildings where primary health care services are provided are insufficient, Uyan said, "We continue to insist on providing health services in earthquake-resistant ASM buildings built and equipped by the public. As family physicians, we want to provide primary health care services with a single wage at least twice the poverty line every month, fairness in taxes, not dependent on performance, with a secure job. We are fighting for this and we will continue. We also expect support from our people."
