The Ministry of Health has issued a significant change to family medicine services with the publication of the “Regulation Amending the Family Medicine Practice Regulation.” These new amendments aim to improve the accessibility and quality of healthcare services.
The key changes are as follows:
- Easier Family Doctor Change: The waiting period for changing family doctors has been reduced from 3 months to 1 month. This will allow citizens to change their family doctors more easily whenever they wish. Additionally, citizens who move to a different city will also be able to change their family doctor with ease.
- New Family Health Centers and Units: To balance the population density in family medicine services, the opening of new family health centers and family medicine units is encouraged. This will allow citizens to be transferred from overpopulated units to new ones, ensuring easier access to healthcare services.
- Reduction in the Number of People Assigned to Each Family Doctor: Previously, a family doctor was responsible for 4,000 people. With the new regulation, this number has been reduced to 3,500. As a result, citizens from overpopulated family medicine units can be transferred to newly opened units, improving both service quality and accessibility.
- 24/7 Health Service Availability: Family medicine units will be included in the 7 days, 24 hours health service system. However, family doctors working in these units will not be involved in services such as death certificates and on-site forensic autopsies.
- Placement of Family Medicine Specialists: Family medicine specialists will be able to prioritize vacant units in family health centers. Additionally, the time allowed for assigning family health workers by family doctors will be limited to 1 month. If a family health worker cannot be found within this period, provincial health directorates will be able to sign contracts.
- Relocation of Family Health Centers: Family health centers that need to be relocated due to mandatory reasons (such as urban transformation or zoning regulations) will first be moved to a public facility, if available. If not, family doctors will arrange for an appropriate location. In cases where a new building is constructed, the family health center will be relocated to the new service location according to the plans made by the directorate.
These changes are designed to make healthcare services more effective and accessible, ensuring that citizens have easier access to health services.
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