Turkey “translated into action” Tallinn Charter on Health Systems

In recent years, Turkey’s national health service has undergone major reforms, yielding significant improvements in utilization, effectiveness and health outcomes. Ms Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, has identified Turkey as a successful example of a country implementing the values and principles of the WHO Tallinn Charter - ensuring that health systems are equitable, responsive and fair, in order to achieve not only health and wellbeing but economic and social development.

Ms Jakab said that “Key elements of success in the Turkish setting are that each policy measure was addressed in a coherent and coordinated way, and that the health reform programme has been implemented in a remarkably short period”.