12.04.2026 09:30
A new era is beginning in family medicine. With the planned regulation, the role of physicians as "employer representatives" will be removed, and the authority to contract will be transferred to the governorships and provincial health directorates. Thus, while the system becomes more centralized, the aim is to reduce administrative issues and ensure that health services are carried out more systematically.
The countdown has begun for the new regulation concerning thousands of healthcare workers employed in family health centers. With the draft prepared by the Ministry of Health, the "employer representative" role currently assigned to family physicians is being abolished.
AUTHORITY TO SIGN CONTRACTS WILL END
According to the regulation, family physicians will no longer have the authority to sign contracts directly with personnel. This authority will be transferred to the governorships and provincial health directorates. Thus, it will ensure that midwives, nurses, and other healthcare personnel working in family health centers are directly administratively linked to the state.
SERIOUS PROBLEMS WERE OCCURRING
In the existing system, which encompasses approximately 28,000 family medicine units and 56,000 healthcare workers across Turkey, the dual role of physicians as both healthcare providers and employers was causing serious issues in the field. It is aimed to reduce the tensions arising from issues such as task sharing, leave processes, and contract disputes with the new regulation.
With the recent regulations made by the Ministry of Health regarding the family medicine system, it is aimed to create a more centralized and controllable structure for primary healthcare services. The new model is expected to make performance tracking and personnel management more transparent as well.
ABSENCE PENALTIES WILL BE CLARIFIED
On the other hand, the draft plans to establish a legal basis for the periods during which physicians and healthcare workers do not perform their duties without valid excuses to ensure that the service is not disrupted. In this context, it is on the agenda to clarify the penalties related to absenteeism.
While the regulation is expected to come to the agenda of the Parliament and be enacted in the upcoming process, healthcare workers and professional organizations are closely following the developments.