Ministry of Health data: Personnel increase remains behind OECD average

Ministry of Health data for the 2024-2025 period revealed that the increase in the total number of health personnel in Turkey remained limited to 4,428 people. Genel Sağlık-İş President Dr. Derya Uğur stated that these data show Turkey's health workforce capacity remains below OECD averages.

According to Ministry of Health records, the total number of health personnel, which was 1,436,686 in 2024, rose to 1,441,114 as of 2025. Genel Sağlık-İş President Dr. Derya Uğur argued that this increase is insufficient in terms of the sustainability of health services.

According to the data shared by Uğur, the number of active doctors per thousand people in Turkey is 2.4, while the OECD average is at the 3.9 level. Regarding the number of nurses, while 2.9 people fall per thousand in Turkey, the OECD average is recorded as 9.2. Furthermore, while the number of pharmacists in Turkey is 48 per 100,000 people, this rate is at the 86 level across the OECD.

Assessment: While union representatives state that the current number of personnel struggles to reach OECD standards, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced in a statement on October 17 that 38,000 non-physician personnel would be recruited by the end of 2026.