Healthcare Personnel Appointments and Employment Problems in Turkey

Despite lagging behind OECD and EU averages in dentistry, pharmacy, and nursing fields in Turkey, thousands of healthcare professionals face unemployment and appointment problems. Although the President announced that 38,000 non-physician healthcare personnel will be hired before the end of the year, uncertainty among professional groups continues.

In dentistry, while 17,000 dentists applied for the Ministry of Health's 2026 first-term appointment lottery, only 521 people were appointed. Despite inadequate access to oral and dental health services and high tooth decay rates in children, graduates cannot find public appointments or face insufficient wages in the private sector. According to data from the Ankara Chamber of Pharmacists in the pharmaceutical sector, graduates cannot be employed due to restrictions on opening new pharmacies and the low number of public appointments.

According to information shared by Turkish Nurses Association President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Azize Atlı Özbaş, out of 239,338 nurses who graduated between 2015 and 2025, only 118,789 were appointed. While more than 120,000 nurses remained outside the public sector or turned to different sectors in the last 10 years, it was noted that total nurse employment figures declined in 2024 and 2025 data. Although 16,788 quotas were opened in 158 undergraduate nursing departments in 2026, discussions regarding education quality and success score ranges continue.