The Presidential Decree on the Establishment of the University Hospitals Coordination Committee came into force after being published in the Official Gazette. With the decision, the formation, duties and working principles of the committee were regulated.
The decision, published with the signature of AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, covers hospitals, health practice and research centers, and oral and dental health practice and research centers belonging to state and foundation higher education institutions.
The purpose of the committee in the decision; These were stated as increasing the quality of service in university hospitals, ensuring coordination with relevant institutions, strengthening administrative functioning through education, research and development activities and ensuring financial sustainability.
MONITORING FINANCIAL SITUATIONS AND IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS
According to the decision, the committee will monitor the financial situations of university hospitals and the income and expenses of their revolving funds. The duties of the committee included "preparing compulsory financial improvement programs for centers whose financial sustainability is deemed negative, notifying the rector as necessary, and supervising the implementation of these programs."
The committee will make recommendations to the relevant institutions to make arrangements to eliminate the problems identified regarding the effectiveness, efficiency, quality and service standards of health and education services.
The committee will also evaluate investment planning requests regarding personnel and staff standards and physical areas and structures, and will send its findings and analyzes to the Executive Board of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) for the necessary planning.
A RECOMMENDATION WILL BE MADE TO THE RECTOR REGARDING CHIEF PHYSICIANS
In the decision, duties regarding the determination of chief physician candidates and the evaluation of the performance of incumbent chief physicians were also regulated.
Accordingly, the committee will recommend to the rector one of three candidates to be selected by the rector among the full-time faculty members at the faculties of medicine or dentistry, as the director (chief physician) of the application and research centers of state and foundation universities.
It will evaluate the performance of the current chief physicians and make a recommendation to the rector about the continuation of their term of office at the end of each year. It will also periodically evaluate the appointments of faculty members from faculties of medicine or dentistry to application and research centers that provide health services and report them to the rector.
FORMATION OF THE COMMITTEE AND MEETING ORDER
According to the decision, the committee will be chaired by the President of YÖK. The committee will include one representative from the General Directorate of Personnel and Principles of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, one representative from the Ministry of Treasury and Finance at least at the general manager level, two representatives from the Ministry of Health at least at the general manager level, and one representative each from the Strategy and Budget Directorate and the Social Security Institution at the general manager level.
A representative to be selected by YÖK from among the rectors working at state higher education institutions and a representative to be selected by YÖK from among the chief physicians of university hospitals will also be present in the committee.
It was envisaged that the committee would meet with at least a two-thirds majority of the total number of members on the specified day in the first week of January, April, July and October, and take decisions with the absolute majority of the total number of members. It was stated that the president can call the committee to an extraordinary meeting at any time. The follow-up of the decisions taken through secretariat services will be carried out by YÖK.
STAFF EFFICIENCY AND SERVICE QUALITY ARE ALSO AMONG THE DUTIES
The duties of the committee included making determinations and suggestions for improving the practice, education and research activities of students and academicians in the field of health sciences, increasing the quality of health services and ensuring the traceability of administrative processes.
Monitoring the contribution and efficiency of the staff working in university hospitals to service delivery and carrying out studies to increase staff motivation and citizen satisfaction were also organized. The committee will also make recommendations to encourage the development of artificial intelligence and digital transformation processes and applications in the field of healthcare.
SIX-MONTHLY AND ANNUAL REPORTS WILL BE PRESENTED
According to the decision, the committee will be able to form temporary working groups with the participation of experts on issues related to its field of duty. It will submit six-monthly monitoring reports regarding the activities carried out and the results obtained to the institutions specified in the decision in December and June.
