Turkey to Provide Free Covid-19 Treatment Regardless of Insurance

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Treatment of Covid-19 will be free of charge for all citizens regardless of their social security status, according to a new Presidential Decree published in the Official Gazette today (April 14).

All kinds of protective equipment to be provided by the Ministry of Health and recommended for use against disease, test kits used in the diagnosis of the disease and other related equipment and the medicine for the treatment of the disease will also be free, the decree says.

The Ministry of Health will be authorized for the elimination of uncertainties that may arise regarding the implementation of the decree.

The decision will be valid as of March 1, 2020.

Previously, the Notice of Amendment to the Notice of Health Practices (SUT) was published in the Official Gazette. With the amendment, "emergency situation" has been redefined in a way to include epidemic diseases.

Accordingly, the diagnosis and treatment of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) were recognized as an emergency. Thus, private hospitals can no longer request patient shares or any extra fees from these patients.

As of April 13, Turkey has 1,296 deaths and 61,049 cases of Covid-19. (TP/VK)