Family Physicians Issue Warning Over November 1 Remote Examination Quota

İlkay Eren, Member of the Board of Directors of the Family Medicine Workers Union (AHESEN), stated that there are deficiencies in triage, legal guarantees, and infrastructure in the remote health service application planned to be implemented in Family Health Centers on November 1, 2026, and reported that a mandatory daily quota of 3 remote examinations will risk patient safety.

İlkay Eren, Member of the Board of Directors and Secretary of Law and Legislation of the Family Medicine Workers Union (AHESEN), made statements regarding the remote health service application scheduled to begin on November 1. Eren stated that the application, which will be put into practice before the necessary technical and legal regulations are completed, may create problems for healthcare workers and citizens. Noting that remote health service can facilitate access for elderly, bedridden, mobility-restricted, and chronically ill individuals, Eren emphasized that a triage system determining the correct patient group should be established first.

Stating that a model open to the entire registered population and based on a daily mandatory appointment quota will make it difficult to reach the primary target audience, Eren demanded the establishment of a system prioritizing disadvantaged patients instead of a daily mandatory quota, ensuring physicians' medical decisions are legally guaranteed, and harmonizing the Ministry of Health and SGK legislations. On the other hand, AHESEN Chairman Ahmet Kandemir also warned that putting new practices into operation without resolving existing problems in the family medicine system could accelerate the collapse of the system.