Burden of health expenditure on citizens in Turkey grows
29-Oct-14, Sunday's Zaman
Citizens' expenditures on healthcare have greatly increased over the past few years, with the burden of health expenses shifting from the state to citizens' shoulders, analysts say.
“The state should act as a father towards its citizens by paying for their health expenses and looking out for their well-being. Yet the state in Turkey behaves like a hardhearted stepfather,” Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Özgür Özel told Sunday's Zaman, commenting on a recent report by a nongovernmental organization on health expenditure.
The report, published by the İstanbul Chamber of Public Accountants and Financial Advisors (İSMMMO) last Sunday, indicates that citizens' healthcare spending in 2014 has risen 85 percent since 2009, which is interpreted by analysts as the shifting of the burden of healthcare expenditures to from the state to the citizens' shoulders.