Unnecessary Hospital Visits in Istanbul and Their Impacts on the Healthcare System

Istanbul Provincial Health Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Emre Güner stated that 148 million examinations were conducted in the first 8 months of the year, noting that there are cases who applied to hospitals hundreds of times in a single year due to reasons such as anxiety and COPD.

Millions of Examinations in the First 8 Months of the Year

Istanbul Provincial Health Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Abdullah Emre Güner emphasized that Istanbul is the health capital of the world and stated that a total of 148 million examinations were carried out in the first 8 months of this year.

The Importance of Preventive Health Services

It was noted that citizens should benefit from preventive health services before losing their health, and that the effective use of primary, secondary, and tertiary health services is of vital importance.

Cases Applying to Hospitals Hundreds of Times

It was stated that unnecessary hospital applications can make access difficult for people who genuinely need health services, and it was reported that unusual cases applying to a doctor hundreds of times a year were encountered.

Anxiety and Fear of Hypertension

It was announced that a female patient who applied to Okmeydanı Training and Research Hospital 316 times in one year experienced anxiety and fear of hypertension, and these applications were reduced with specialist support.

COPD and Shortness of Breath Case

It was determined that a patient with COPD who felt short of breath and could not manage their anxiety applied to the hospital a total of 337 times within a year.

New Health Model and Family Physicians

Within the framework of the Protecting, Producing, and Developing Health Model by Minister of Health Prof. Dr. Kemal Memişoğlu, it was emphasized that citizens should first apply to their family physicians.