The Turkish Ministry of Health has indicated that plans to introduce a government health insurance scheme, that will include foreign residents, have been postponed.  The delay has still to be ratified by the Turkish parliament.

The scheme, to be administered through the Social Security Office (SGK), was set to be introduced on 1st October 2010. 

However, KTLN heard last week, and it has now been confirmed on the British Embassy in Turkey website, that implementation has been postponed for 2 years, until December 2012.

There has been some confusion around the details of this new scheme, including the question of whether joining is voluntary or compulsory.  Many other points of details are also unclear.

This delay, (assuming it is in fact agreed by parliament), provides an opportunity for those who are potentially affected to seek further clarification. 

KTLN will certainly be aiming to bring more details in due course.  But for now, the pressure appears to be off, with the deadline of next week set to be removed.

Click on the following link to read what they say  about this on the British Embassy website.

You can read more about UHI in an earlier KTLN local news report: click here.