Turkey - Health Transition Project

Page 1 PROJECT INFORMATION DOCUMENT (PID) APPRAISAL STAGE Report No.: AB711 Project Name Health Transition Project (Phase 1) Region EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA Sector Health (100%) Project ID P074053 Borrower(s) REPUBLIC OF TURKEY Implementing Agency Treasury, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health, Turkey Prof. Dr. Sabahattin Aydin Deputy Minister Tel: 90-312-4357100 sabahattin@saglik.gov.tr Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Turkey Mr Mustafa Gur Deputy Minister Tel: 90-312-212 0257 Fax: 90-312-212 5239 mgur@csgb.gov.tr Environment Category [ ] A [ ] B [X] C [ ] FI [ ] TBD (to be determined) Safeguard Classification [ ] S 1 [ ] S 2 [X] S 3 [ ] S F [ ] TBD (to be determined) Date PID Prepared March 10, 2004 Date of Appraisal Authorization March 15, 2004 Date of Board Approval May 20, 2004 1. Country and Sector Background While Turkey has made considerable progress in expanding healthcare coverage and improving on key health indicators, it continues to rank far behind most middle-income and European Union (EU) accession countries in terms of health status and access to healthcare. Life expectancy is nearly ten years below the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average, and infant and maternal mortality rates are among the highest of middle-income countries. The health sector in Turkey is under-performing in achieving health outcomes commensurate with its level of socio-economic development and the amount of expenditures in healthcare which stand at about 6.9% of the Gross Domestic Product (GNP). Substantial and sustained efforts will have to be made if the country is to meet the European health and service standards and the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015. A recent World Bank sector study,