Turkish Health Ministry extends scope of home care service for elderly

A new regulation that came into force after being published in the Official Gazette extends access to home health services for the elderly population, including those aged 80 or older, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca noted Friday.

With the new regulation, all people over the age of 80 will be able to benefit from home health services at any time they request, regardless of any reports or dependency on a supporting device.

The regulation determines the procedures and principles regarding the provision of medical services that can be provided on-site in accordance with the service standards to individuals in need of at-home health care.

In addition, the procedures related to the provision of these services have been organized with public institutions and organizations that provide home health services.

As part of the extension of the health services and providing easier access for senior citizens to health care, the ministry had earlier this year announced details on the standards and practices to be implemented in special units in centers to be established for citizens aged 80 and above.

Koca shared the particular details on his social media account for the regulation, noting that these services are carried out with 86 coordination centers in 81 provinces, 865 service units, 1,252 hospital teams and the inclusion of a total of nearly 6,000 personnel.

Besides widening the scope of health care through the new regulation and determining the standards of services, an appropriate increase in the numbers of personnel, vehicles and equipment is planned as well, the minister said.

“With the new regulation, temporary (post-hospital discharge) and indefinite (long-term care) home health care standards have been determined. It has been defined which patient group will receive home health care services,” he further noted.

Providing information on the services provided in connection with the ministry’s “healthy aging circular,” the minister noted that the home health teams were also given a role in service delivery.

“The use of remote health services for home health services was defined. The processing (data) will be carried out through the ‘Home Health Management’ (ESYS) software system. Through this software, it is aimed to establish the necessary communication network with other stakeholders, with constant software updates. Currently, 641,751 registered patients receive services from our home health services, with an average of 315,000 patient visits conducted on a monthly basis. Congratulations on the new regulation relating to health services at home,” Koca said.

In addition, patients aged 65 and over who have a chronic disease documented by a medical board report, who are considered to be fully dependent or severely dependent in terms of daily living activities score, and patients who are dependent on some sort of the device or home due to their illness, patients who received palliative care and whose medical care is deemed appropriate at home are also included in the scope of the home health services.

Persons deemed eligible to receive home health services at the time of discharge from the hospital as well as those considered in need of medical care for up to 30 days, including patients with diabetes, heart failure, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Alzheimer’s, dementia, neurodegenerative diseases, terminal cancer, patients undergoing treatment and follow-up after fractures, and patients who need medical care due to amputation are primarily evaluated within the scope of home health services.

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