As the Public Policy, State Administration and Societal Progress Center (KAPDEM), we conducted this special interview with Pharmacist Mehmet İrfan Demirci, the President of the Turkish Pharmacists’ Association (TEB). In this interview, Demirci evaluated the current crises in Turkey’s healthcare ecosystem, the bottlenecks in the pharmaceutical supply chain, and the structural threats facing the future of the pharmacy profession.
Pharmacist Demirci emphasized that medicine shortages are a financial issue stemming from the public share allocated to pharmaceuticals remaining below the OECD average, rather than being a mere technical glitch. He stressed that the Price Decree on Medicinal Products must be moved to a predictable ground that aligns with economic realities. Furthermore, he analyzed the economic parameters in the Social Security Institution (SGK) protocol processes, the strategic and transparent role undertaken by TEB in procuring medicines from abroad, and the new management model for the healthcare expenses of refugees. In addition, by drawing attention to the employment crisis created by the uncontrolled increase in quotas at faculties of pharmacy, he comprehensively shared urgent structural reform proposals for the sustainability of the profession, including strengthening the role of pharmacists in primary healthcare services and reducing quotas to rational levels.
