Turkey

Turkey is a Eurasian country, most of which lies in Asia (97 percent) and the remainder (3 percent) on the European Balkan Peninsula. Turkey has a population of 75.6 million, with a 1.2 percent annual population growth rate. In the Ottoman period, when the country was ruled by a monarch, health services were for the use of the court and army instead of the masses; health services for the masses were assumed to be outside the fundamental duty of the government. Since its formation in 1923, the Turkish Republic has prevailed as a secular state. After establishment of the republic, health services were included as an essential duty.

At the central level, the Ministry of Health is the major government body that is responsible for the ...