In fact, just when many thought that this particular argument -- between the Social Security Institution (SGK) and the Turkish Pharmacists Union (TEB) -- had come to a close, it was actually reignited.And so as we see the debates surrounding medical contracts once again occupying the top spots on Turkey’s agenda, it is impossible to really understand how it is that this argument got restarted. For the past two weeks, it has been quite clear that Turkey is facing quite a serious crisis.
To tell the truth, the government as of late made some revolutionary changes in the arena of health care. For example, by canceling the sale of medicine at hospitals and instead moving all such sales to pharmacies, retirees and people who used to wait in long lines no longer had to do so. In addition, the path forward was opened for all insured Turks who wished to be examined at private hospitals. So, basically, it was made easier for Turks to not only get examined by doctors without having to wait in long lines, but also to obtain their medicine easily from the pharmacy. Not only was this system pleasing to people in general, it also worked to bring about a serious sense of control over the pharmaceutical sector. And in the meantime, though profit margins in pharmacies were falling, overall turnover was rapidly increasing. In the big picture, higher profit and more employment opportunities were being created.
As for some of the errors that emerged in the system after its implementation, these were taken care of in time, and a consistent order began to take root. Arguments over payments and discounts that had marked the past were finally solved through an agreement reached last year. The system, despite some problems, began working quite well. The cancellation of last year’s SGK agreement as well as certain statements from the prime minister carried the situation to a whole new level. The debate suddenly moved from being a disagreement between the SGK and TEB and moved into an arena in which the very future of pharmacists themselves was being debated.
Of course, these sorts of problems are fairly normal in every profession, as is the idea that certain professions will, from time to time, have problems with the government. What is inexplicable, though, is that the government is now bringing to the agenda the question of “chain pharmacies,” in the apparent hope of bringing the pharmacists into line. It is at its core the perception of what “chain pharmacies” might mean that worries this sector, and it is impossible for any pharmacist to be convinced otherwise on this matter.
I think what needs to be debated here is not the profession of being a pharmacist itself because in Turkey, pharmacies occupy places in society that go way beyond being spots where medicine is sold. Especially when thinking of neighborhood pharmacies, you must understand that they simultaneously operate as clinics, family consultation centers and even psychiatric centers. And pharmacists are health consultants, psychiatrists and even the learned men of their neighborhoods. In short, pharmacies are much more than just shops where medicine is sold. It is also important to remember that when it comes to the distribution of income more fairly, pharmacies have an important societal duty.
So, should we have a system wherein three people earn lots of money and the rest make basic wages, or wherein thousands of people receive just portions of the money? In other words: Let’s say that there is $100 million in profit to be made. Would it be more fair to distribute this between three people, or to distribute it between 5,000 people?
Engaging in politics means guiding perception a bit, as well as being able to form healthy lines of communication. Likewise, it requires being able to explain what you have done, and being able to speak appropriately to the people of your nation. For a political movement that gains its mandate from one election to another, making a faction of hundreds of thousands angry in a needless fashion does not, to me, seem very wise. Thus, I believe that bringing the idea of “chain pharmacies” to the nation’s agenda has been a great strategic error. Why was the crisis between the pharmacists and the government repeated? It should not be forgotten that only last year was this same crisis averted through a much more level-headed dialogue between the sides. In the end, it does not seem very wise either to push a large faction of people into your opponent’s camp.
