The Minister of Health, Memişoğlu, announced that the regulations for private hospitals will be renewed.

Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu stated, "We are completely renewing the regulations for private hospitals. We see that there is a need for some changes in the regulations regarding private hospitals. All public hospitals, university hospitals, and private hospitals must provide services at the same standard." He said this during a meeting with health reporters from news agencies, television, and newspapers at the Ministry, where he made statements regarding the agenda and answered questions.

Memişoğlu, who mentioned that he visited 28 cities in the four-month period since he took office, explained that they listened to the problems of all healthcare workers, including those in the public, university, and private sectors, and held meetings. He stated, "In general, we have gathered the requests of our colleagues. Because ultimately, we are here for them as well. We are here to provide services, to support them, and to work together with them, trying to identify problems on-site to solve them more effectively."

Emphasizing the importance of conducting and developing scientific studies in healthcare, Memişoğlu said, "We need to produce, we need to produce science. We are creating an ecosystem in this regard."

"WE ARE DESIGNING TÜSEB TO CREATE THIS ECOSYSTEM"

Memişoğlu conveyed that it is necessary to bring together scientists, finance, and the state for this purpose, and continued his remarks as follows: "Look, we will not just do science; we need to produce science. We need to produce scientific materials, we need to produce medicine. Therefore, we are designing TÜSEB in a way that will create this ecosystem. We want producing health to be the most important part of the healthcare ecosystem in the next 10 or 20 years. We are also restructuring USHAŞ. These two issues are important for us. Just as we talk about primary healthcare and preventive healthcare, we need to ensure that producing health and health technology, and science can be produced in Turkey at least as much."

"ALREADY, OPTIONAL REPORTS IN THE SECOND AND THIRD LEVEL ARE PAID"

In response to a question regarding the bill presented to the Parliament that includes changes to the Family Medicine Law, which foresees the charging of certain special-purpose reports from family physicians, Memişoğlu stated that they have provided their opinion to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security regarding this proposal.

Pointing out that optional reports are already provided for a fee in hospitals, Memişoğlu made the following evaluations: "Optional reports are already priced in second and third level hospitals. In other words, when you go to the hospital, you receive these reports for a fee. We have given approval for family physicians to provide these reports at a lower price than the pricing in the second and third levels. I want you to know that this is not a report that is not priced. If it is to be done only in family medicine, we want a fee to be charged for that as well. The fees will be spent on improving the physical structure of family medicine and family health centers. So it should not be perceived as if a new fee is being charged. Already, optional reports in the second and third levels are paid. We want these reports to be provided by family physicians, and we want them to be charged a certain amount less than the second and third levels."

"WE ARE OPENING 10% OF MHRS QUOTAS IN ALL HOSPITALS TO FAMILY PHYSICIANS"

Emphasizing that they want to ensure integration between family medicine and second-level hospitals, Memişoğlu stated, "We desire that a disease that can be solved or treated in family medicine does not need to go to the second and third levels. We are trying to organize in a way that will provide effective treatment at the right place and at the right time. If the patient can be treated in family medicine, there should be no need for them to go to the emergency room or the second or third level."

Memişoğlu continued: "We are opening a certain authority to family physicians; we say that you can make appointments for your own patients. We are opening 10% of the quota, the MHRS quota, in all hospitals to family physicians until the end of the previous working day. Thus, we are enabling family physicians to make appointments for their own patients from hospitals. This way, we will ensure integration. Starting next year, we will build a structure that will enable mutual communication. Because the integration and communication between the second level and the first level is very important."

"APPLICATIONS WILL MAKE THE FAMILY MEDICINE SYSTEM MORE EFFECTIVE"

In response to a question regarding traditional and complementary medicine training for family physicians, Memişoğlu explained that if the bill is enacted, secondary legislation regarding training will be issued. He made the following statements:

"With the secondary legislation, we will also increase the training. There will be no problem in this regard. We approach with a logic that supports the integration of traditional medicine with current medicine. We are working to make every application that will benefit human health feasible. We are issuing such legislation to make family physicians more effective. The secondary regulations will be issued after the law. We will look at how it will be worked on, how a system will be established."

Emphasizing that they are working to prioritize primary healthcare services with the upcoming regulations and laws, Memişoğlu stated, "I understand the concerns of our family physicians. I believe that after 5-6 months, we will be in much better places. After the implementation, we will also see the beneficial and problematic aspects of the application. Our expectation is that these applications will make the family medicine system more effective and place it at the center of the system. After the implementation, we can make necessary follow-ups and make good revisions."

"WE HAVE DOUBLED THE INCENTIVES FOR FAMILY PHYSICIANS"

Memişoğlu pointed out that there have been disinformation regarding "family physicians cannot prescribe medication" with the new regulation and shared the following information regarding the regulation: "If the amount of medication prescribed to their own patient group during a period is the same or less than the amount prescribed in the previous period, we provide incentives to the family physician. If the number of visits to the hospital by the registered population is the same or less than the previous period, it means that this family physician has made that population healthier. In this regard, we provide incentives and additional payments. Moreover, we have doubled this incentive. We give the family physician the responsibility for the health of their own population. Family physicians who keep their population healthy are considered successful. We do not interfere with the treatment process of any physician and do not prevent them from prescribing medication. I think it is inappropriate to say, 'We cannot prescribe medication; the Ministry has banned it.'"

"WE ARE COMPARING MANAGERS TO THE PREVIOUS TERM, WE ARE MEASURING SUCCESS INDICES"

In response to another question regarding employee and patient satisfaction, Minister Memişoğlu stated, "Since October, we have been monitoring our Provincial Health Directors, District Health Directors, and Chief Physicians with certain parameters.```html

We evaluate employee satisfaction, patient satisfaction, and application rates through an electronic system. We compare managers to the previous period and measure success indices. They can also see these indices themselves. Our work related to public hospitals and health tourism will continue. We will make some regulatory changes," he said.

"THE SOCIETY PERCEIVES CESAREAN AS A BIRTH METHOD"

In response to a question about the decline in fertility rates and cesarean surgeries, Memişoğlu pointed out that cesarean is a surgical method, stating that many prominent factors such as socioeconomic reasons, the effects of urbanization, and family size are affecting fertility rates.

Minister Memişoğlu emphasized that they are fighting this issue together with the Ministry of Family and Social Policies and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, saying, "The primary cesarean rate can only be one or two in ten births according to the data announced by the World Health Organization. However, our primary cesarean rate will be one in every two births. Society perceives cesarean as a birth method."

"WE HAVE REGULATORY WORK TO INCREASE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MIDWIVES"

Memişoğlu, who reported that they are preparing a new regulation in this context, said:

"We are working to make our midwives more active and to provide more support to mothers during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. The person who should prepare the mother for childbirth during this emotional period is the midwife. We also have a regulatory work that will increase the effectiveness of midwives. It will be published this week or next week. We want midwives to be effective. Especially in the last three months of pregnancy, when the feeling of motherhood begins to be experienced more intensely, we want midwives to prepare expectant mothers for childbirth.

We emphasize that normal birth has significant benefits not only for the mother but also for the baby. We are doing our best regarding the fertility rate as Ministries. As you know, the number of leaves for mothers has been increased. Unpaid leaves have been converted into paid leaves. Work is ongoing regarding these. We must all strive to explain to mothers and expectant mothers that childbirth is a physiological event."

"WE WILL WORK MORE WITH HOSPITALS WHERE THE PRIMARY CESAREAN RATE EXCEEDS 20%"

Memişoğlu pointed out the importance of changing societal demand regarding cesarean and raising awareness about it, stating, "We need to explain to society that cesarean is a surgery, not a birth method. Medically, surgery may be necessary in one or two out of ten births. If many births occur via cesarean in a physiological event where surgery is not required in eight, it indicates a problem in this area."

Emphasizing that many parameters should be used to support normal birth holistically, Memişoğlu said: "We need to change the prejudices regarding normal birth by evaluating hospitals, doctors, expectant mothers, and society as a whole. The most emotional ones here are the mothers. If we prepare mothers well and increase their courage regarding childbirth, I believe these problems will be solved. We will work more with hospitals where the primary cesarean rate exceeds 20%."

"WE ARE COMPLETELY RENEWING THE REGULATIONS FOR PRIVATE HOSPITALS"

In response to questions about the operations in private hospitals, Minister Memişoğlu stated:

"We are completely renewing the regulations for private hospitals. We see that there is a need for some changes in the regulations regarding private hospitals. All public hospitals, university hospitals, and private hospitals must provide services at the same standard. They must treat patients in the same way with the same scientific studies.

There are very good examples and world-class surgeries in private hospitals. We do not differentiate between private and public regarding cesarean rates. Based on our investigations regarding primary cesarean rates, we will strive to encourage expectant mothers for normal birth more effectively in 2025. We also plan to introduce encouraging elements regarding midwives."

"WE WILL SUPPORT EVERYONE WHO WILL PRODUCE IN THE HEALTH SECTOR"

Recalling that he recently met with Turkish scientist Dr. Özlem Türeci at the Ministry, Memişoğlu said, "We will support scientists in this country. I held a meeting with very successful scientists who have worked abroad at the 10th Turkish Medical World Congress. They will come here, and I tell foreign investors to come here and invest. Turkey is no longer a health market; Turkey is a partner in health production."

Stating that studies are being conducted with TÜSEB in this regard, Memişoğlu continued his speech with the following words: "We will support everyone who wants to invest in Turkey or who is Turkish and wants to invest abroad in the best way possible. We will support everyone who will produce from science, create production in the health sector, and create added value. We will create a structure that can generate financial income by producing from science. I am talking about producing science, not just doing science. I will support everyone who says I will say a new word, I will produce something new, I found something new, I have a claim, both domestically and abroad."

"WE WILL STAND BY OUR DOCTORS WHO PRACTICE GOOD MEDICINE"

Pointing out that doctors are valuable and sensitive individuals who have gone through difficult processes with great effort in their education and who work for the well-being of people 24 hours a day, dedicating themselves to the good of humanity, Memişoğlu noted that medicine is a profession that also has a spiritual side, a pleasure, and a necessity to develop empathy.

Stating that doctors have a structure that empathizes with the troubles of others, Memişoğlu concluded his speech with the following words: "I want our doctors to feel valuable; they also want to feel valuable. We will stand by our doctors who practice good medicine. I will stand behind every doctor who cares for their patients and has a sense of dedication. As a Minister, I say; we will stand behind doctors who work not just to look after patients but to treat and embrace them. We will practice medicine not just to look after patients but to treat and embrace them. I say very clearly, I stand behind all our doctors who care for their patients, empathize with their troubles, and are dedicated. Doctors are very valuable. Medicine is a profession of emotion and dedication."

Minister of Health Memişoğlu also added that a pilot application has been carried out in three provinces regarding family dentistry, and work will be done to address appointment issues in some branches such as ophthalmology and plastic surgery.