Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/120976 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 9329
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper examines the impact of universal, free, and easily accessible primary healthcare on population health as measured by age-specific birth and mortality rates, focusing on a nationwide socialized medicine program implemented in Turkey. The Family Medicine Program (FMP), launched in 2005, assigns each Turkish citizen to a specific state-employed family physician, who offers a wide range of primary healthcare services that are free-of-charge. Furthermore, these services are provided at family health centers, which operate on a walk-in basis and are located within the neighborhoods in close proximity to the patients. To identify the causal impact of the FMP, we exploit the variation in its introduction across provinces and over time. Our estimates indicate that the FMP caused large declines in mortality rates across all age groups with more pronounced impacts among infants and the elderly, and a moderate reduction in the birth rates, primarily among teenagers. Furthermore, the results are suggestive that the program has also contributed towards equalization in the mortality disparities across provinces. Our findings highlight the importance of a nationwide supply-side intervention on improving public health.
Subjects: 
healthcare
reform
socialized
medicine
health
Turkey
infant
mortality
birth
teenager
physician
JEL: 
I0
I1
I11
I13
I14
I18
J13
J14
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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