05.05.2025 13:52
The Ministry of Health will automatically transfer the family medicine registrations of citizens who are registered with a family physician in a different province from their residence to their current address, starting from tomorrow with a new application in the family medicine system.
The General Director of Public Health, Muhammed Emin Demirkol, who made statements regarding the new application to be implemented across Turkey as of May 6, stated that they are implementing this application within the scope of the "Healthy Turkey Century" program to provide preventive health services more effectively.
Emphasizing the importance of preventive health services with a health model that protects, develops, and produces, Demirkol mentioned that they have strengthened family medicine in this context. He pointed out that strong family medicine creates a strong health system and healthy generations.
NEW SYSTEM IS COMING INTO EFFECT Demirkol announced that they will implement a new system across Turkey this month to actively deliver preventive health services to 85 million people, sharing the following information:
"We are planning to increase the applications at our family health centers by registering the population that is registered with our family health centers as a member of our family. We want every citizen to visit their family doctor and receive preventive health services and effective screening services for free. In this context, we are trying to take certain actions. We are launching a new application. We have pulled a list from the system of those citizens who are registered with a family doctor in a different province than their residence address. For example, let’s consider a citizen who is registered with a family doctor in Ankara but has a residence address in Istanbul; if they have not applied to any health institution in Ankara, where their family doctor is registered, within a year, and their residence address is in Istanbul, we will transfer their family medicine registration to Istanbul as of May, so that they can more easily reach their family doctor and receive services more effectively, and our family doctor can also reach that citizen. Our Provincial Health Directorate in Istanbul will register that citizen with the nearest and most suitable family doctor to their address."
RIGHT TO RETURN WILL BE GIVEN WITHIN A MONTH General Director of Public Health Demirkol stated, "We want to emphasize especially that after this process, within one month, our citizens will be able to return to their previously registered family doctor by logging into the 'https://enabiz.gov.tr/' website with their e-Government or e-Nabız password. We have determined the openness on the system as one month." he said.
Demirkol pointed out that the new applications introduced by the Family Medicine Contract and Payment Regulation, which came into force in October, have increased obesity screenings from 20% to 70%.
CRITERION OF NOT VISITING THE FAMILY DOCTOR FOR 1 YEAR AND NOT RECEIVING HEALTH SERVICES IN THAT PROVINCE Emphasizing that these rates need to increase further and that individuals must register with family doctors where they live to be able to have regular health checks, Demirkol continued:
"Thus, we want to increase our screening numbers, provide our preventive health services more effectively, and ensure that individuals receive all primary health services, including cancer screenings, from their family doctor where they live. We do not want a person's family doctor registration to be in a different province than their residence address. Here, we have taken the criterion of not having visited the family doctor within one year and not having received health services in the province where that family doctor is located. We will transfer the family medicine registrations of those citizens to the province where they reside. Our Provincial Health Directorate there will also register these individuals with the nearest family doctor to their residence address, and if our citizens wish to return to their old family doctor, they will be able to do so within a month by logging into e-Nabız through the province where their old family doctor is located."
THE SYSTEM DOES NOT COVER DISTRICTS IN THE SAME PROVINCE Demirkol stated that the system, which will come into effect on May 6, covers different provinces but does not cover different districts within the same province.
“A person's family doctor may be in a different district, and their residence address may be in another district; we currently have no action for them,” said Demirkol, emphasizing that this only applies to those whose family doctor is in a different city than their residence and who have not applied to health institutions in the province where their family doctor is located for a year.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION VIA SMS Demirkol emphasized that family doctors also requested this system and that they are carrying out this work to enable citizens to receive more effective health services, stating, "We provide very valuable and comprehensive primary care services. We offer a wide range of health services from cancer screenings to chronic disease screenings. We do not want any citizen to be deprived of this service." he said.
Demirkol concluded his remarks as follows:
"Citizens whose family medicine registration is taken to the province where they reside will receive an SMS from our Ministry of Health. They will learn that their registration has been taken with this SMS. The information on how to apply will also be included, and if they wish to return to their old family doctor within a month, they will be able to do so."