Elections, Health and Politics: The Turkish Case

1. Elections, Health and Politics: The Turkish Case Hasan Hüseyin Yıldırım, PhD Hacettepe University Ankara, Turkey EHMA Annual Conference 2008 25-27 June, Athens, Greece

2. Outline • Background • Two main politicial outcomes of the electoral dynamics of Turkey • The dynamics of election politics and its impact on health sphere • Concluding remarks EHMA Annual Conference 2008 25-27 June, Athens, Greece

3. Background • This paper seeks to explore the likely reflections of electoral politics on health policy-making and health reform by dealing with the Turkish general elections and presidential election taking place in 2007. • 2007 has become a year of elections for Turkey • General elections, 22 July 2007 • Presidential election, 28 August 2007 • This dual election dynamics has encompassed Turkey and indexed everything from the daily life to the high politics at the extreme to the elections. • Although the government frequently stated that it would not implement election economy, it does not mean that election politics was not and/orwould not be implemented. • The elections are a critical factor in health sector as it is the case other sectors and influence the policy preferences. EHMA Annual Conference 2008 25-27 June, Athens, Greece

4. Two main politicial outcomes of the electoral dynamics of Turkey • The enforcement date of General Health Insurance Scheme Law has been postponed contiunally • By having issued the Health Implementation Decree on the eve of the general elections; the obligation to follow referral system had been suspended EHMA Annual Conference 2008 25-27 June, Athens, Greece

5. The dynamics of election politics and its impact on health sphere • Pursuing election policy may lead to change in priorities. The most significant effect of election policy appears on policy priorities. • During the periods when election policies are implemented, political desire, will and support change. • Election activities gain priority. • Populism increases. EHMA Annual Conference 2008 25-27 June, Athens, Greece

6. Concluding remarks • One of the fieriest periods in the politics is election periods. The politicsis staged on slippery ground particularly in such countries, like Turkey, where the politics has not been institutionalized yet. • The policies exhibited during this period of staging may yield outcomes in the medium and long run that are hard to repair. • Yet health should be considered as a ‘field of state policy’ whatever the conditions may be. Therefore, health and its main components and principles should be a political area that is minimally influenced by the government changes, if not any. • As a main element of being a social state and as a fundamental of economic improvement and development, health should be seen practical field of social solidarity, equity and inclusiveness and formulated within the understanding of ‘health is a right’, not an area of practices which are outcomes of populism... EHMA Annual Conference 2008 25-27 June, Athens, Greece

7. Thank you… Hasan Hüseyin Yıldırım, PhD Assistant Professor Hacettepe University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Department of Health Care Management 06100, Ankara, Turkey E-mail : hhy@hacettepe.edu.tr Web : www.absaglik.com