ABSTRACT

Turkey is a developing country; the Justice and Development Party are in power since 2002, and a significant part of Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi (AKP) policies comprise inclusive policies in healthcare. Healthcare is a dynamic and popular policy area of the AKP government, and economic trends affect health policies and resource distribution decisions of policymakers. This chapter provides a closer look at the historical background of Turkish health reform, in the light of the general economy. After that, building blocks of AKP's health reform are discussed in detail. Socializations principle of healthcare services is a long-term strategy in Turkey. Protecting vulnerable groups from increasing health risks is one of the main parts of the health reform process in Turkey. Health reforms have significant effects on different functions of healthcare services. After more than a decade of health reform experience, healthcare has become a focus of Turkish policymakers.