In 2024, Turkey’s Social Security Institution (SGK) witnessed a substantial rise in health-related spending, reaching approximately 980.8 billion Turkish liras ($30.17 billion), up from 553.1 billion liras ($23.04 billion) in 2023. This marks a remarkable 77% increase in healthcare expenditures within a year.
The breakdown of these expenditures shows that 663.3 billion liras went towards treatment, 305.4 billion liras for medication, 4 billion liras for prescription service fees, and 7.6 billion liras under the category of “other expenses,” according to a report by BirGün.
Spending on private hospitals also saw a dramatic uptick. In 2023, 34.5 billion liras was allocated to private hospitals, and this figure more than doubled to 69.3 billion liras in 2024, marking an annual increase of 35 billion liras.
From January to September of 2023, SGK processed about 350,000 invoices, totaling 142.2 billion liras in payments. In 2024, the number of invoices surged to 376,000, with total payments escalating to 235.6 billion liras, indicating hikes in drug prices. The average cost per prescription increased significantly, rising from 406 TL in 2023 to 627 TL in 2024.
SGK’s 2024 report also highlighted limited regulatory oversight in the healthcare sector. Despite over 550 private hospitals in Turkey, only 87 hospitals and 6 medical centers were audited. The institution also investigated 14,821 individuals suspected of fraudulently benefiting from healthcare services, leading to financial losses of 173.3 million liras for SGK.
Hospitals that violated the Health Services Agreement faced fines, with proposed penalties amounting to 881.6 million liras.
The average exchange rate was 24.01 TL/USD in 2023, increasing to 32.51 TL/USD in 2024.