Abstract
Background: While Turkey hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees, the provision of health services for chronic disease among Syrian refugees in Turkey has been inadequate and understudied. This paper explores Turkish healthcare policies surrounding Syrian refugees’ access to health services for chronic diseases. Methods: We conducted a literature review and supplementary stakeholder interviews to evaluate the provision of chronic health services and the most common barriers to healthcare access among Syrian refugees in Turkey. Results: Though access to treatment for displaced Syrians has improved throughout the past five years, five primary barriers persist: registration procedure regulations, navigation of a new health system, language barriers, fear of adverse treatment, and cost. Conclusions: To drive improvements in healthcare for chronic diseases among Syrian refugees in Turkey, we recommend making registration procedures more accessible, developing more healthcare options in patients’ native language, increasing human resources, and advocating for more research surrounding chronic health conditions among refugees.
Highlights
The conflict in Syria has produced over 5.3 million registered Syrian refugees, and Turkey currently hosts over 60 percent of this population [1]
The literature review focused on identifying peer-reviewed publications in English that pertain to Turkish healthcare policies, migrant health in Turkey, health outcomes for displaced populations in Turkey, chronic diseases among Syrian refugees in Turkey, and the provision of refugee health services in Turkey
In 2013, the Turkish healthcare system began a series of health system reforms under the Turkish
Summary
The conflict in Syria has produced over 5.3 million registered Syrian refugees, and Turkey currently hosts over 60 percent of this population [1]. In a 2019 survey of 10,019 Syrian refugees living in Turkey, 15.2% of respondents reported having a chronic disease, with hypertension, psychiatric disorders, and diabetes reflecting the most common chronic diseases reported [5]. A health status survey by the World Health Organization reports that over 50 percent of Syrian refugees in Turkey are at high risk—defined as having 3–5 risk factors—for developing a chronic disease [6]. This paper explores Turkish healthcare policies surrounding Syrian refugees’ access to health services for chronic diseases. Conclusions: To drive improvements in healthcare for chronic diseases among Syrian refugees in Turkey, we recommend making registration procedures more accessible, developing more healthcare options in patients’ native language, increasing human resources, and advocating for more research surrounding chronic health conditions among refugees
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