The Politics of Healthcare Reform in Turkey.

• Author: Simsek, Ilknur

The Politics of Healthcare Reform in Turkey

By Volkan Yilmaz

London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017, 267 pages, [euro]99.99, ISBN: 9783319536668

Healthcare reform has been a significant issue across the world for some time. In my humble opinion, diffirent countries have a lot to learn from each other in terms of healhcare, especially developed countries from developing ones. Healthcare reform in Turkey has become a platform for critics, politics, academics and policy makers, as the political system in Turkey was undergoing a significant transformation at the time the Health Transformation Programme (HTP) in Turkey was being implemented in 2003.

The book under review is written by Volkan Yilmaz, who is an academician specializing in social politics. Volkan Yilmaz the author takes on the challenge of providing a comprehensive analysis of the political dynamics of the HTP. Methodologically, the book is a case study based on a single country. It examines the political dynamics of Turkish HTP between 2003 and 2013. Empirically overlays the change in healthcare financing with interpretations of politics. Whilst describing the new configuration of power, it also draws on different approaches to healthcare systems. The main focus is the transformation in healthcare system since 2003.

Yilmaz a detailed overview of the historical legacy of Turkey's healthcare system against the background of Turkish politics. The Politics of Healthcare Reform in Turkey presents theoretical framework of institutionalist approaches along with their motivations, values, ideas and ideologies. It explores national, regional and global actors of social policy makers, which expands the social policy literature. What were the political dynamics that enabled the introduction of healthcare reform in Turkey? What political conflicts did the reform generate? How and to whose benefit have these conflicts been resolved? are the questions the study answers throughout the book.

Yilmaz shapes the book into nine, well-researched academic chapters starting with "The New Politics of Healthcare in Turkey" and ending with "Private Healthcare Provider Organisations as New Actors in the Politics of Healthcare." Each chapter has its own introduction and conclusion, provides critical facts understanding the historical legacy of Turkey's health care system against the background of Turkish politics. Chapter 1 introduces the author's methodological premises. Here, Yilmaz presents a delicate overview...