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A health report is required to get married, get a driving license, or get a premium private health insurance policy which is more comprehensive than those normally purchased by foreigners for their residence permit. What is a Turkish Health Report? A health report, in Turkish called a sağlık kurulu raporu or heyet raporu, is a comprehensive report on your health by doctors specializing in internal medicine, eye, ear, nose and throat, neurology, mental health, and orthopedics. The types of doctors involved depend on the reason for the health report. You can obtain a health report at any state or university hospital, or a private hospital if it's approved to issue them. For foreigners living in Turkey, a health report is required in order to get a driving license. In some cases it's a good idea to get a health report even when it isn't required. For example, insurance companies, as well as Turkey's Genel Sağlık Sigortası (General Health Insurance) program, won't pay out if they believe your condition is a pre-existing one. If you have a health report done when you join the plan, it may help you to prove a problem didn't exist at the time you joined. Where and How to Get a Health Report State hospitals are responsible for issuing health reports. Private hospitals may also issue them provided they're approved to do so by the ministry of health. Making an Appointment You can make an appointment at any hospital in Turkey by using the Merkezi Hekim Randevu Sistemi (Central Doctor Appointment System, or MHRS). Their website is here: https://www.mhrs.gov.tr/ If you're a member of e-Devlet, Turkey's government services portal, you can make an appointment by going directly to this page and signing in: https://www.turkiye.gov.tr/saglik-bakanligi-merkezi-hekim-randevu-sistemi Or you can call Turkey's national hospital appointment center at 182, from any telephone in Turkey. The call is free, and there's an option for English. State hospitals usually have certain days of the week when they do the examinations and issue health reports. Learn how to join and use e-Devlet. Getting a Health Report Without an Appointment You may be able to walk into a hospital and have the health report done. The hospital may fit you in between other appointments since the required examinations don't take much time. Required Documents You'll need these documents: Residence Permit Copy of your residence permit The document directing you to get the health report (if you have one) Four biometric photos Your glasses (if you wear them) You'll fill out a form requesting the health report at the reception desk, then pay a fee. Then the receptionist will tell you which clinic to go to for the first examination. Health Report Fee The fee will vary between hospitals but expect to pay around ₺200 to ₺300. The Health Report Process After a wait at the first and subsequent clinics, they'll do their examination or test, sign the document, and send you to the next clinic. Finally, you'll meet a doctor who'll interview you and sign off on the entire process. When I did this, I went without an appointment, and the whole process took around two hours (including waiting time). The examinations will likely include the following: Blood test Hearing test Vision test Examination and interview by a doctor Other tests if required The Health Report Document The doctor at the last clinic will send you back to the receptionist. The receptionist will create your health report, and attach your photo to it. After that, you can add it to your application package. Assistance and Support Turkey Central Forums: Do you have a question? Search our forums to see if it's already been answered. If it hasn't, feel free to open a new topic. Ken Grubb As a special investigator for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and teacher for the University of Maryland, Ken Grubb has lived and worked in Turkey since 1997. He now lives in Antalya, where he researches and writes guides to help others live skillfully in Turkey.

The first place Turks go for minor illnesses is an eczane (eg-zah-neh), which is a Turkish a pharmacy or chemist's. They are identified by a red "E" emblazoned on a square white background. You'll find at least one eczane in practically every town in Turkey, and a large number of them in larger cities. When to Use an Eczane If you're suffering from some minor ailment, the pharmacist there is trained to listen to a description of your symptoms and dispense medicine. Many of these medicines might require a doctor's prescription in your country, but are dispensed by an eczacı (ej-zah-juh), or pharmacist, in Turkey. If your symptoms indicate that you need to see a doctor, or that you need a medicine which can only be prescribed by a doctor, the eczacı can recommend one. What You Can Get at an Eczane Besides medicine and drugs, you can also buy such things as Crutches Bandages Orthopedic devices Throat lozenges Aspirin Athlete's foot creme Antiseptic cremes and sprays Mosquito repellent Condoms While many of these types of items would be sold in a large grocery store in your home country, you have to go to an eczane to get some of them in Turkey. Prices are cheap though, since drug and medicine prices are controlled by the Turkish government. If they don't have the brand you want, they will probably have the same thing under another brand name. The Nöbetçi, or On-duty Pharmacist If you go to an eczane after normal hours or on Sunday, and find it closed, you'll see a sign on the door with an address and telephone number for the nöbetçi (nuh-beht-chee) or on-duty pharmacist. The duty rotates between eczanes in the same city or town, so at least one is always open. The nöbetçi eczane might not be close by, so you may need to ask a taxi driver to take you there if you don't know where it is. See Also Health, Healthcare, and Health Insurance forum: If you have questions, post them in this forum. Ken Grubb As a special investigator for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and teacher for the University of Maryland, Ken Grubb has lived and worked in Turkey since 1997. He now lives in Antalya, where he researches and writes guides to help others live skillfully in Turkey.