Number of Nurses and Physicians in the Health Sector in Türkiye
In recent years, Türkiye's health sector has faced serious challenges, according to many international comparisons. Türkiye's situation is quite worrying, especially in terms of the number of nurses and doctors. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Türkiye has the highest number of nurses and midwives per 100 people. in last place This situation directly affects the quality of health services in our country.
Low Number of Nurses and Physicians
The number of nurses per 100 people in Türkiye is only 361. This figure causes us to fall behind many countries in the world. For example, this number is 420 in Colombia, 256 in Mexico and 262 in South Korea. This situation creates serious obstacles in Türkiye's access to health services and negatively affects the treatment processes of patients.
Recent Statistics
In the 2021-2023 period, the number of applications to the Ministry of Health hospitals increased by 38%. In addition, the number of inpatients increased by 26% and the number of surgeries increased by 53%. However, despite this increase, the 14% increase in the number of specialist physicians and nurses is far from meeting this demand. This situation is a factor that threatens the sustainability of the health system.
The Situation of Health Workers in Our Country
Healthcare workers are the backbone of Türkiye's healthcare system. However, recent workforce losses and retirement processes have caused staff shortages. Failure to take the necessary steps to replace retired healthcare workers negatively affects the quality of healthcare services. Healthcare workers continue to work with great dedication in this situation, but this situation is not sustainable.
Inadequacy in the Number of Physicians
The number of doctors per 100 people in Türkiye is 239. This figure leaves Türkiye in last place in the international arena. Increasing access to health services necessitates increasing the number of doctors. Increasing the number of doctors in our country is critical to improving the quality of health services and providing better service to patients.
The Future of the Healthcare System
Türkiye's health system is facing a major crisis due to the inadequacy of the number of nurses and doctors. This situation affects not only healthcare workers but also patients. In order to overcome these difficulties in healthcare services, the number of nurses and doctors must be increased, education processes must be strengthened and working conditions of healthcare workers must be improved.
Solution offers
- Investing in the Education of Healthcare Workers: The education processes of health workers should be strengthened. The number of undergraduate and graduate programs should be increased and the quality of existing programs should be improved.
- A Solution Should Be Found Quickly for the Vacancy: New positions should be opened quickly to replace retired healthcare professionals and qualified healthcare workers should be appointed to these positions.
- Improving Working Conditions: The workload of healthcare workers should be reduced and working conditions should be improved. This will increase the motivation of healthcare workers and therefore increase the quality of service.
- International Collaborations: Cooperation should be established with health workers abroad and experience sharing should be ensured. In this way, deficiencies in the health system can be eliminated more quickly.
As a result
Turkey must enter a serious transformation process in terms of health services. The inadequacy in the number of nurses and doctors poses a major threat to the sustainability of the health system. Therefore, every step taken in the field of health is extremely important for the future of our country. Recognizing the value of health workers and responding to their needs is an element that directly affects public health. In this direction, the necessary steps must be taken as soon as possible.
