Annual Physician Application Rate per Capita Recorded as 13.2 in Turkey
According to Ministry of Health data, applications to physicians reached an average of 13.2 per capita in 2025.
According to Ministry of Health statistics, a total of 1 billion 138 million applications were made to physicians in 2025, which corresponds to an average of 13.2 applications per person per year. These high rates announced brought structural problems in the health system and hospital congestion to the agenda.
Annual Application Numbers and OECD Comparison
According to Ministry of Health data, a total of 1 billion 138 million 60 thousand 185 applications were made to physicians in 2025. This picture reveals that a person in Turkey went to a physician an average of 13.2 times a year.
In international comparisons made, it is seen that the average of OECD countries is at the level of 6.5.
Distribution According to Health Tiers
41.3 percent of the total applications made took place in institutions providing primary care health services.
The remaining 58.7 percent of applications were directed to secondary and tertiary health institutions.
Trend of Increase Over the Years
When data from past years are examined, it is understood that the number of physician applications per capita shows a continuous upward trend.
While the number of applications per capita was at the level of 3.1 in 2002, this rate increased over the years and rose to 12.2 in 2024.
Discussions on Congestion and Quality in the Health System
Due to the very short time that can be allocated to examinations, the failure to strengthen the primary tier sufficiently, and the congestion in hospitals, patients are forced to go to the hospital repeatedly for the same problem.
Available data show that there are significant problems regarding the quality of health service, and when compared with averages in OECD countries, there are differences in life expectancy and preventable mortality rates.
Assessments of the Turkish Medical Association
Turkish Medical Association President Prof. Dr. Pınar Saip stated that going to the doctor frequently is not a success, but rather points to disruptions in the health system.
Saip emphasized that the main element that needs to be measured is how much patients recover.
Examination Durations and Proposed Solutions
Contrary to the examination duration of at least 15-20 minutes recommended by the World Health Organization and the TMA, it is stated that this duration drops down to 3.5-4 minutes in field practice.
Experts note that the solution to these experienced problems passes through a tiered health system where the primary tier is strengthened.