Increasing rental burden in family health centers leaves physicians in a difficult situation
The General Health-İş Union announced that family physicians are being forced to leave the system due to insufficient current expenses and a heavy rental burden.
General Health-İş Union President Derya Uğur drew attention to the problems experienced in the family medicine system, stating that current expense payments remain insufficient and the rental burden falls entirely on the shoulders of physicians.
Problems in the System and Call for Regulation
General Health-İş Union President Derya Uğur emphasized that tasks and procedures not among the primary duties of family physicians are steadily increasing. Uğur stated that necessary regulations have not been made since 2005 and the system has failed to reach its intended point.
Criticism of MEDULA and Administrative Burden
Expressing her criticisms regarding the MEDULA system, Uğur stated that it is not the duty of physicians to audit the administrative and financial transactions of the Social Security Institution (SGK). Calling on the Ministry of Health, Uğur requested that the views of healthcare workers operating in the field be taken into account to solve the problems.
Rental Burden and Insufficient Current Expenses
Stating that current expense payments made to physicians in family health centers remain insufficient, Derya Uğur conveyed that some family physicians, especially in metropolitan areas and other provinces, cannot cover building rental expenses. It was stated that physicians who cannot cover the costs are forced to leave the system.
Reminding that most family health centers are not public buildings but consist of apartments or shops, Uğur noted that lease agreements and increases are covered by the physicians. It was also claimed that provincial health departments apply rent increases over high market value rates in public buildings.