Putting the Neoliberal Transformation of Turkish Healthcare System and Its Problems into a Historical Perspective

Abstract

The principal objective of this article is to analyze how the Health Transformation Program (HTP), the latest reform to have overhauled the Turkish healthcare system, has been designed according to the project of global neoliberal capital accumulation. This reform is in line with the transformation of the Turkish economy, which has been ongoing since the 1980s. With this aim in mind, this research examines how neoliberalism affects both the provision of healthcare services and household healthcare expenditures in Turkey. The article concludes that, as well as the HTP transferring public funds to the private sector and promoting the rent-seeking characteristic of the Turkish bourgeoisie, the financial burden of healthcare services on primarily the middle and lower-income groups in Turkey has increased dramatically and led to a rise in out-of-pocket expenditures. JEL Classification: H51, I14