1.
Medical Transparency: The Turkish Case Şerif BOYACI, pharmacist Turkish Pharmacists' Association

2.
Transperancy in determination of the price <ul><li>Two different prices: </li></ul><ul><li>Public price </li></ul><ul><li>Retail price </li></ul><ul><li>Strict regulations in determination of public price: </li></ul><ul><li>The cheapest of reference countries </li></ul><ul><li>The cheapest within the theraupatic class. </li></ul><ul><li>Positive list </li></ul><ul><li>Co-payment of patient. </li></ul><ul><li>Retail price: </li></ul><ul><li>Fixed margin rates for wholesalers and pharmacists </li></ul>

3.
Cost estimation <ul><li>Cost estimation for public bodies </li></ul><ul><li>Global budget (will be implemented for the year 2009) </li></ul><ul><li>Cost estimation of the patient </li></ul><ul><li>Standard co-payment as a tool for awareness of the drug prices </li></ul><ul><li>Extra payment for the drugs exceeding the reimbursement limit. </li></ul>

4.
The right of patient to obtain drug information <ul><li>The Regulation on the Patient Rights that ensures the right of the patient to access the drug information . </li></ul><ul><li>“ Short drug information” available via website of Ministry of Health. </li></ul><ul><li>The counselling services of the pharmacists. </li></ul>

5.
The right of patient to have access to drugs <ul><li>Again, The Regulation on the Patient Rights ensures the right to access the drugs. </li></ul><ul><li>The General Social Insurance System, subsumes all the citizens and non-citizens </li></ul><ul><li>The extensiveness of the pharmacies is guaranteeing the access. </li></ul>

6.
Transparency and privacy <ul><li>Privacy of the patient information is guaranteed by the laws. </li></ul><ul><li>But as an implementation of e-health systems, the Smartcard application is planned to be started at January 2010, on which we have doubts about the security of the patient information. </li></ul>

7.
The sustainability of pharmaceutical services <ul><li>The guarantee of the sustainability is the continuum of reimbursement system. </li></ul><ul><li>Turkey is the third most hit country by the global economic crisis. </li></ul><ul><li>Social security expenses are already exceeding the budget. </li></ul><ul><li>By generalisation of the social security system, the Institution pays the contribution of the unemployed (whose number reaches the 14.5% of the population), people below the age of 18, and people with low income. </li></ul>