Türkiye
Family doctors in Turkey staged a five-day strike from December 2 to December 6, 2024, in protest against the controversial Family Physician Payment and Contract Regulation. The regulation, which came into force on November 1, 2024, has been widely criticised for imposing performance-based measures that undermine working conditions and restrict access to public healthcare.
The strike, organised by the Family Medicine Workers’ Union (AHESEN) and supported by other healthcare organisations, including SES, The Health and Social Service Workers' Union, highlighted concerns about salary deductions for doctors if patients do not visit within six months, limits on additional payments for frequent hospital visits, and monthly performance-based salary adjustments. Many family doctors report that these changes leave their wages below the poverty line.
Critics argue that the regulation undermines the quality and accessibility of public healthcare by pushing vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and disabled, towards private services. Healthcare workers warn that these conditions are driving an exodus of professionals from the public system, putting further strain on already overburdened family health centres. Union representatives stressed that the strike was a necessary measure to defend both workers’ rights and citizens’ access to equitable health services.
