Senior & retiree care coordination | Rafiq

What makes a home care service licensed in Turkey?

Home healthcare services (Evde Sağlık Hizmetleri) in Turkey are subject to official regulation by the Turkish Ministry of Health, under the regulation governing the provision of home care services. Under this legal framework, home healthcare services (such as a medical examination, nursing care, or in-home treatment follow-up) may only be provided by an institution officially licensed by the Ministry of Health or a body affiliated with it, such as a hospital or health center with an accredited unit for providing this service. This is entirely different from informal arrangements to accompany or assist elderly people with their daily affairs, which do not fall under this regulatory framework because they don't involve providing a licensed health service. Knowing this difference matters for any family looking for support for an elderly relative, because home healthcare in the specific legal sense has licensing and oversight requirements that don't apply to general, non-medical assistance.

Important points to know

• Relying on an unlicensed care arrangement for an elderly person who needs genuine health follow-up carries risks beyond the administrative side, because medical oversight and professional accountability aren't guaranteed outside a licensed framework
• Elderly foreign residents and retirees often deal simultaneously with medical appointments, residence documents, and health insurance, and coordinating these aspects together reduces the likelihood of overlooking one of them due to difficulty following up or the language barrier
• The difference between "licensed" and "informal" isn't a formality — it determines who bears professional and legal responsibility for the quality of care provided

Frequently asked questions

Can anyone provide home healthcare in Turkey? No. Under Turkish Ministry of Health regulations, home healthcare services may only be provided by an officially licensed institution, such as a hospital or accredited health center with a home care unit. Individuals or unlicensed parties don't fall under this legal framework, even if they provide similar services informally.

What's the difference between a home healthcare provider and a companion or general assistant for the elderly? A licensed home healthcare provider offers services of a medical nature, such as examinations or treatment follow-up, under the supervision of an institution accredited by the Ministry of Health. Accompaniment or general assistance with daily affairs, on the other hand, is an entirely different arrangement that doesn't fall under home healthcare regulations.

Why do elderly people need special coordination for appointments and documents? Because they often deal with several parties within a short period — medical, administrative, and insurance-related — and may face additional difficulty following up due to language or the nature of the procedures, which makes having organized coordination across these aspects an important factor in reducing oversights or delays.

Last updated: 2026-09-07