More than half of those applying to emergency services in Turkey are non-emergency cases

Speaking at the 6th International Emergency Medicine Congress held in the Kemer district of Antalya, President of the Board of Directors of the Emergency Medicine Foundation of Turkey, Prof. Dr. Şahin Çolak, stated that one of the main reasons for emergency service congestion in Turkey is non-emergency applications.

Prof. Dr. Şahin Çolak stated that the ease of access to healthcare services increases patient traffic in emergency departments. Noting that patients are classified according to their urgency status through the triage system, Çolak recorded that non-emergency patients are directed to the green zone where their treatment is carried out.

Reminding that the waiting time for patients in the green zone to meet with a physician is approximately 4 hours worldwide, Çolak emphasized that this duration remains under one hour even in the busiest hospitals in Turkey. Stating that some clinics accept 50 to 100 patients per hour during peak times, Çolak expressed that the triage system ensures that emergency cases are treated with priority.