Ambulance Services Will Be Stopped: 6 Thousand Healthcare Workers in Danger!

New Regulation of the Ministry of Health: Crisis in Ambulance Services

Published by the Ministry of Health “Regulation on Ambulances, Emergency Health Vehicles and Ambulance Services”, has caused a serious crisis in the private ambulance sector. This new regulation has caused a serious crisis in ambulance services throughout Türkiye. pushing 75 percent out of the system and this leaves critical healthcare services inaccessible for millions of citizens.

Citizens Cannot Find Ambulance Even With Their Own Money

President of the Ambulance Services Association Suleyman Oren, in his statement about the new regulation, said, “The new regulations make it impossible for citizens, especially in rural areas, to access their most basic right to health.” Ören said that ambulances 75 percent are at risk of closing He stated that this situation will cause a great loss not only in the number of vehicles but also in qualified health personnel. 6 thousand health workers will be unemployed and service capacity will be seriously reduced.

Obligations and Applicability Issue in the New Regulation

Within the scope of the new regulation, it has been made mandatory for every ambulance service to have a doctor. However, Ören emphasized that this decision is not applicable and said, “In Turkey, there are no doctors in ambulance services. 1000 doctors need to be employed. However, in the current situation, there are only 112 doctors in Ankara 6 and 2 doctors in Izmir and hundreds of ambulances are providing service,” he said. The lack of such a human resource is the reason for this decision. will increase service costs and will negatively affect the sustainability of the service.

Great Victimization is Coming to the Countryside

With the regulation, most of the ambulance services will be disabled in provincial areas. This will cause citizens to be unable to find an ambulance to receive service even with their own money in patient transfers and emergency situations. The total burden in Turkey the current system, which removes 25 percentIt is stated that it cannot cope with the 75 percent decrease in service capacity.

Reaction Shown with Press Release

The Ambulance Services Association expressed its reaction to the regulation with a press statement held in front of the Ministry of Health. President Ören stated that in order to protect the citizens' right to health, They started legal process Ören stated, “This regulation is against the public interest. We have made our application to the Council of State and our struggle will continue.”

Effects of Regulation Changes

The new regulation will negatively affect not only the number of ambulance services but also the quality of these services. its scope will be narrowed and especially in emergency situations, patients will face serious difficulties. In addition, this situation also endangers the job security of healthcare personnel. Ambulance services are an important part of the healthcare system and with these changes, it seems inevitable that a large gap will form between healthcare professionals and patients.

Adverse Effects on Public Health

The new regulation of the Ministry of Health threatens not only ambulance services but also public health. Restricting access to emergency health services means that patients cannot receive timely intervention and thus their health problems will deepen. The social effects of this situation will also harm the general functioning of the health system. Citizens living in rural areas in particular will have great difficulties in accessing health services.

Solution Proposals and Future Expectations

The government needs to take urgent measures to ensure the sustainability of ambulance services. First of all, Expansion of ambulance services and health personnel employment of sufficient numbers In addition, to increase access to health services in rural areas, financial support mechanisms These steps are of critical importance both for the protection of citizens' right to health and for the sustainability of the overall functioning of the health system.

As a result, the new regulation of the Ministry of Health has caused a major crisis in the field of ambulance services. This situation threatens not only health services but also public health. The struggle of associations and health workers is of great importance in reducing these negative effects and strengthening the health system.