Platinum bargain in front of the operating room

The appointment crisis in the health system, the drug crisis, the long diagnostic and treatment processes put citizens together with health professionals in a difficult situation. Low-income citizens cannot meet many needs in the commercialized healthcare system. If surgery is required, private companies step in to obtain materials and devices that state hospitals cannot supply, and citizens can take thousands of lira out of their pockets when they want access to free treatment.

It revealed the scope of the healthcare system of a patient named NN, whose arm was broken at the elbow as a result of a domestic accident, he was first taken by ambulance to Izmir Seferihisar State Hospital. An ambulance was requested from the Urla State Hospital for referral, as there was no intervention due to failure. When an ambulance could not be sent from Urla, the patient’s relatives took him by taxi to Dokuz Eylül University Research and Application Hospital. The patient, who was admitted to the emergency room at this location, was admitted to the hospital, stating that he needed surgery. As the patient was brought into the operating room, the orthopedic surgeon, one of the doctors who would be performing the surgery, conveyed to the patient’s family members that they needed to use some materials on the patient’s arm because he had a comminuted fracture, and some of them were not covered by SSI.

PAYMENT WITHOUT VAT

In this process, where the approval of the patient’s relatives for the use of the materials is obtained, the representative of the company where the materials are located may also be in the consultation. After the operation, payment is made to the company official who proposes a price with or without VAT, according to the invoice request. The president of the General Health Union-İş Dr. Derya Uğur states that this is unfortunately how the process works and draws attention to the extent of the commercialized health system.

‘If you want an invoice, 18 percent VAT is added’

In some operations, the officials of the medical company supplying materials may enter the operation and supply the necessary materials to the surgeons at that time. At the end of the surgery, company officials inform the patient’s relatives about the materials used and their prices, and inform about the payment. The company representative, who states that payments can be made to the relatives of the patient named N. in cash or EFT, when asked for an invoice, replies: “Then 18 percent VAT is added to the price that we give.” In these days when health is hard to come by, it is almost a bargain in hospitals.

‘Commercial’ transformation in healthcare

Noting that government policies have made the health system this way, General Health Union-İş President Dr. Derya Uğur noted that the process “unfortunately” worked this way. Noting that health professionals are advancing the treatment process with their own efforts because there is a problem in the supply of materials, Uğur said, “This is the result of what they call transformation in health. Unfortunately, patients and their families have to deal with private companies in public hospitals.” Emphasizing the commercialization of health, Dr. Uğur said, “We always say; Health must be equal and accessible”.