Analysing the implications of the Health Transformation Program on perceptions of the welfare state and public services in Turkey

Konuralp E., DAYIOĞLU N.

Acta Oeconomica, vol.72, no.2, pp.153-174, 2022 (SSCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 72 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1556/032.2022.00009
  • Journal Name: Acta Oeconomica
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, EconLit, Geobase, Index Islamicus
  • Page Numbers: pp.153-174
  • Keywords: Health Transformation Program, healthcare policy, healthcare provision, Turkey, welfare state
  • İstanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The neoliberal structural adjustment policies in Turkey moved on to a new phase with the Health Transformation Program (HTP) that came into effect in 2003. In this study, 5,002 people, who used the services of the public hospitals in Istanbul, participated in a face-to-face survey to find out the impact of the HTP on the public's understanding of the welfare state and also the impact on their opinions over the healthcare services offered by the state. The data were classified into two topics: First, the transformation of the welfare state and second, the adequacy of the public healthcare services. Interestingly, the participants took a much more explicit stance against the neoliberal transformation of the welfare state than against the adequacy of the public healthcare service provision. The primary purpose of this research was to expose this paradox.