Turkey Halts Key Rules for Private Hospitals After Medical Association Challenge

Turkey's Council of State has partially suspended key regulations governing private healthcare facilities, a move that partially satisfies a challenge brought by the Turkish Medical Association (TTB). The TTB had sought the annulment and suspension of several articles in a regulation published in the Official Gazette on April 19, 2025.

The court ruled that the requirement for medical centers to have a minimum of 3,000 square meters of indoor space was unlawful. It stated this regulation disproportionately restricted physicians' freedom to practice and hindered patients' access to healthcare. The court also found the mandatory contract requirement for physicians unlawful, citing a lack of planning, insufficient justification, and improper use of administrative discretion.

Furthermore, the court suspended the provision requiring special permission for a physician to treat a patient at another medical center, citing procedural ambiguity. It also deemed a temporary clause exempting certain entities from quota limitations unlawful. While the court rejected the suspension of other challenged articles, the TTB announced its intention to appeal this decision to the Council of State's Administrative Law Chambers.