A snapshot of the organization and provision of primary care in Turkey

Contains fulltext : 96599.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: This WHO study aimed to support Turkey in its efforts to strengthen the primary care (PC) system by implementing the WHO Primary Care Evaluation Tool (PCET). This article provides an overview of the organization and provision of primary care in Turkey. METHODS: The WHO Primary Care Evaluation Tool was implemented in two provinces (Bolu and Eskisehir) in Turkey in 2007/08. The Tool consists of three parts: a national questionnaire concerning the organisation and financing of primary care; a questionnaire for family doctors; and a questionnaire for patients who visit a family health centre. RESULTS: Primary care has just recently become an official health policy priority with the introduction of a family medicine scheme. Although the supply of family doctors (FDs) has improved, they are geographically uneven distributed, and nationwide shortages of primary care staff remain. Coordination of care could be improved and quality control mechanisms were lacking. However, patients were very satisfied with the treatment by FDs. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides an overview of the current state of PC in Turkey for two provinces with newly introduced family medicine, by using a structured approach to evaluate the essential functions of PC, including governance, financing, resource generation, as well as the characteristics of a "good" service delivery system (as being accessible, comprehensive, coordinated and continuous)

Health systems in transition, 18,1: Tajikistan

The Health Systems in Transition (HiT) series consists of country-based reviews that provide a detailed description of a health system and of reform and policy initiatives in progress or under development in a specific country. Each review is produced by country experts in collaboration with the Observatory’s staff. In order to facilitate comparisons between countries, reviews are based on a template, which is revised periodically. The template provides detailed guidelines and specific questions, definitions and examples needed to compile a report. HiTs seek to provide relevant information to support policy-makers and analysts in the development of health systems in Europe. They are building blocks that can be used to: (*) learn in detail about different approaches to the organization, financing and delivery of health services, and the role of the main actors in health systems; (*) describe the institutional framework, process, content and implementation of health care reform programmes; (*) highlight challenges and areas that require more in-depth analysis; (*) provide a tool for the dissemination of information on health systems and the exchange of experiences of reform strategies between policy-makers and analysts in different countries; and (*) assist other researchers in more in-depth comparative health policy analysis. Compiling the reviews poses a number of methodological problems. In many countries, there is relatively little information available on the health system and the impact of reforms. [...

Health systems in transition, 17,3: France

The Health Systems in Transition (HiT) series consists of country-based reviews that provide a detailed description of a health system and of reform and policy initiatives in progress or under development in a specific country. Each review is produced by country experts in collaboration with the Observatory’s staff. In order to facilitate comparisons between countries, reviews are based on a template, which is revised periodically. The template provides detailed guidelines and specific questions, definitions and examples needed to compile a report. HiTs seek to provide relevant information to support policy-makers and analysts in the development of health systems in Europe. They are building blocks that can be used to: (*) learn in detail about different approaches to the organization, financing and delivery of health services, and the role of the main actors in health systems; (*) describe the institutional framework, process, content and implementation of health care reform programmes; (*) highlight challenges and areas that require more in-depth analysis; (*) provide a tool for the dissemination of information on health systems and the exchange of experiences of reform strategies between policy-makers and analysts in different countries; and (*) assist other researchers in more in-depth comparative health policy analysis. Compiling the reviews poses a number of methodological problems. In many countries, there is relatively little information available on the health system and the impact of reforms. [...

Health systems in transition, 18,3: Slovenia

The Health Systems in Transition (HiT) series consists of country-based reviews that provide a detailed description of a health system and of reform and policy initiatives in progress or under development in a specific country. Each review is produced by country experts in collaboration with the Observatory’s staff. In order to facilitate comparisons between countries, reviews are based on a template, which is revised periodically. The template provides detailed guidelines and specific questions, definitions and examples needed to compile a report. HiTs seek to provide relevant information to support policy-makers and analysts in the development of health systems in Europe. They are building blocks that can be used to: (*) learn in detail about different approaches to the organization, financing and delivery of health services, and the role of the main actors in health systems; (*) describe the institutional framework, process, content and implementation of health care reform programmes; (*) highlight challenges and areas that require more in-depth analysis; (*) provide a tool for the dissemination of information on health systems and the exchange of experiences of reform strategies between policy-makers and analysts in different countries; and (*) assist other researchers in more in-depth comparative health policy analysis. Compiling the reviews poses a number of methodological problems. In many countries, there is relatively little information available on the health system and the impact of reforms. [...