Primary care in Turkey

As a result of the Health Transformation Programme, supply and access to primary care services in Turkey have both greatly increased. Health outcomes have also improved, most notably around maternal and child health and infectious diseases. Whilst this should be celebrated, thus far relatively little policy attention is paid to some other primary care functions. Published national health outcomes, for example, neglect the real and pressing challenge of longterm conditions such as heart disease or diabetes. Now, there is a need to focus on the quality of services, particularly around the emerging challenge of noncommunicable diseases.